In today’s AI-dominated tech space, gamers have been bombarded with rising prices for storage, memory, and even GPUs. So gamers are increasingly looking for value when purchasing a new system. To that end, HP is attempting to deliver solid gaming performance at an accessible price with the HyperX Omen 15. It’s worth noting that the Omen now takes the place of the Victus 15 in HP’s mainstream gaming laptop range, with the Omen Max occupying the top spot.

The Omen 15 has a strong foundation with a Core Ultra 9 processor, 32GB of RAM, a 15.3-inch 1800p OLED display, and a sleek design. HP delivers all this for just over $2,000, and it has strong gaming performance, but there are compromises in chassis construction and features you’d expect at this price point.

Design of the HyperX Omen 15

The Omen 15 shares its design language with the slightly larger Omen Max 16 that I previously reviewed. It’s an unassuming design, finished in Shadow Black, with just a hint of shimmering flakes if you look closely under light. There aren’t any garish design flourishes or additional RGB effects (other than the keyboard).

Like the Omen Max 16, the Omen 15 identifies itself with an “O15” script on the right side of the deck. Given that the Omen 15 is less than half the price of its larger sibling, you only get an aluminum lid. Everything else, including the upper and lower chassis, is constructed of a much cheaper (and more pliable) plastic.

The desk easily deforms when pressing on it, and the whole laptop flexes with minimal effort, twisting it from corner to corner. The overall feel of the laptop doesn’t quite seem up to par with what I’d expect from a gaming laptop priced over $2,000.

There’s also another interesting omission when looking around the chassis. Despite its price tag, there are no Thunderbolt ports. And you only get one USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 port on the back, beside an HDMI 2.1 port. There’s a GbE Ethernet port and a USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port on the right side of the chassis, while a proprietary barrel-style power port, another USB-A port, and a 3.5 mm combo audio jack are on the left.

Our Omen 15 review unit measures 13.5 x 9.96 x 0.93 inches and weighs 4.89 pounds. For comparison, the Gigabyte Aero X16 is 14 x 9.9 x 0.78 inches and 4.2 pounds, while the Framework Laptop 16 measures 14.03 x 11.43 x 0.82 inches and 5.29 pounds. Finally, the Predator Triton 14 AI is 12.68 x 8.84 x 0.71 inches and 3.5 pounds (due to its smaller 14.5-inch display).

HyperX Omen 15 Specifications

Gaming and Graphics on the HyperX Omen 15

Our Omen 15 review unit came configured with an Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor, 32GB of DDR5-5600 memory, and a GeForce RTX 5070 GPU (85W TGP).

As for the assembled competitors, we have the Aero X16 (Ryzen AI 7 350, 32GB, RTX 5070 85W), Predator Triton 14 AI (Core Ultra 9 288V, RTX 5070 110W), and Framework Laptop 16 (Ryzen AI 7 350, RTX 5070 100W).

I’ve been playing a lot of Battlefield 6 recently, and I tend to run at native resolution in Overkill detail mode, with DLSS Quality and frame generation enabled. However, I dialed it back to High detail mode instead of Overkill to accommodate just 8GB of memory on the RTX 5070. Using these settings, I was able to average between 70 and 85 frames per second.

We start off our gaming benchmarks with Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Highest settings), where the Omen 15 started off on the right foot with 126 FPS at 1080p resolution and 60 FPS at 1800p. The Framework Laptop 16 eked out 6 additional FPS at 1080p and another 17 at its native resolution. However, we still consider it a good showing, given that the RTX 5070 in the Omen 15 operates at a 85W TGP (versus 100W for the Framework) and at a higher native resolution (1800p versus 1600p).

Cyberpunk 2077 (Ray Tracing Ultra settings) again saw the Omen 15 in second place to the Laptop 16. This time, it hit 35 FPS at 1080p resolution compared to 38 FPS for the Laptop 16. Performance at 1800p was in the single digits for the Omen 15, while the Laptop 16 managed 18 FPS. Both are slideshow-worthy numbers that are nothing to brag about.

Far Cry 6 (Ultra settings) was a high point for the Omen 15, which bested all competitors with 107 FPS at 1080p resolution. Cranking the dial to 1800p, that figure dropped to 69 FPS, compared to 70 FPS for the Aero X16 running at 1600p. The Laptop 16 forged ahead with 83 FPS at 1600p.

Red Dead Redemption 2 (Medium settings) was something of a sore spot for the Omen 15 (59 FPS at 1080p), which fell well below the Aero X16 (78 FPS) and the Laptop 16 (91 FPS). Boosting the resolution to 1800p also saw the Omen 15 in third place, with 35 FPS, well off the pace set by the Laptop 16 (57 FPS).

Forza Horizon 6 (Ultra settings) is a more recent benchmark in our testing suite, and so far, the Omen 15 is the only entry in this class of gaming laptops. With that said, the Omen 15 achieved 80 FPS at 1080p and 51 FPS at 1800p.

On our Metro Exodus stress test, the Omen 15 review unit averaged 141.62 FPS at 1080p across 15 loops using the RTX preset. The CPU performance cores averaged 3.52 GHz, the efficiency cores averaged 2.82 GHz, and the low-power efficiency cores ran at 1.9 GHz. The RTX 5070 GPU averaged 2.0 GHz.

Productivity Performance on the HyperX Omen 15

With a Core Ultra 9 386H processor, 32GB of DDR5-5600 memory, and a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD onboard, we expected solid performance from the Omen 15. Those expectations were met in terms of CPU performance, while storage performance lagged a bit behind the competition.

The Omen 15 performed well in Geekbench 6, hitting 2,857 in the single-core benchmark, keeping it right in the mix with the other competitors. However, it sprinted out ahead of the pack in multi-core, delivering 15,916 compared to 14,074 on the second-place Aero X16.

The Omen 15 was at the back of the pack on our file transfer test, coming in at 999 MBps from the Samsung MZVMX1T0HCLD-00BH1 SSD versus an average of around just under 1,500 MBps for the other three competitors.

Moving on to our HandBrake test, where we transcode a 4K video file to 1080p, the Omen 15 took the top spot, finishing the task in 3 minutes and 39 seconds. That was about 15 seconds faster than the second-place Aero X16.

Display on the HyperX Omen 15

Our review unit came equipped with a 15.3-inch 2880 x 1800 OLED display. Interestingly, the refresh rate is limited to just 120 Hz, compared to the faster 144 Hz to 165 Hz that we see in competitors like the Aero X16 and Laptop 16.

The Omen 15’s OLED panel performed roughly on par with the rest of the laptops in this segment, as it covered 132.3 percent of the DCI-P3 color space and 186.8 percent of sRGB. It even managed to take the top spot in the brightness category, hitting 460.2 nits compared to 444 nits for the Laptop 16.

I love OLED panels, and the 1800p unit on the Omen 15 just proves that that love shows no sign of abating. Colors looked rich, blacks were jet black, and brightness levels in my home office setting (with an abundance of overhead lighting) were more than adequate.

I played quite a bit of Forza Horizon 6 using the Omen 15, and marveled at the bright, colorful, and reflective car bodies as I competed in various events.

Keyboard and Touchpad on the HyperX Omen 15

There have been noticeable improvements made to the Omen 15’s keyboard, at least compared to the previous Victus 15. The biggest change is the move from half-height arrow keys to full-size. The tiny, half-height function keys have also been enlarged.

HP also boasts of an 8K polling rate for the Omen 15’s keyboard (equating to a response time of 0.125 ms). I wouldn’t consider myself to be a highly competitive gamer, so any upgrades in this area are lost on me. The keyboard also features 4-zone RGB backlighting.

Using the Keyhero.com typing test, I averaged around 87 words per minute with 95% accuracy, which is on par with my typical typing speed. I found the keyboard comfortable for typing and gaming.

There’s nothing particularly noteworthy about the touchpad, which features a top-hinged design. Its surface allowed my finger to glide smoothly, although it is a bit loud and clanky when clicked.

Audio on the HyperX Omen 15

The Omen 15 features stereo speakers supporting DTS:X Ultra and HyperX Audio Control. I was pleasantly surprised by the sound emanating from the speaker, which was rich in volume and clarity. While lacking any real semblance of bass, the underlying output was clean.

I took the opportunity to fire up “Mujahadin and Opium,” which is a horn- and string-filled track by John Barry from The Living Daylights soundtrack. There is just something very chilling about the interplay of the strings and horns; the former of which starts the track, while the latter beautifully fills in classic James Bond tradition.

The speakers also did well to mimic engine sounds as I went corner carving in Forza Horizon 6, be it a high-strung flat-6 or a burbling V8.

Upgradeability of the HyperX Omen 15

Flipping the Omen 15 over to reveal its bottom panel, you’ll find five screws holding it in place. Three of the screws are exposed, while the two corner screws at the back are hidden beneath tiny rubber plugs. I needed to use a safety pin to pry them out, which was annoying.

With the panel removed, you’ll find easy access to the battery, both M.2 SSD bays, the Wi-Fi card, and the two SO-DIMM slots (which are covered by a flexible I/O shield).

Battery Life on the HyperX Omen 15

The Omen 15 is powered by a 70 WHr battery, and it performed well against its peers. Our battery test leverages web browsing, video streaming over Wi-Fi, and OpenGL testing with the screen brightness set at 150 nits.

The HyperX laptop endured for 8 hours and 30 minutes, which was 10 minutes longer than the Laptop 16 and 14 minutes longer than the Predator Triton 14 AI. However, it was no match for the Aero X16, which lasted 9 hours and 13 minutes.

Heat on the HyperX Omen 15

During the Metro Exodus stress test, we measured the Omen 15's keyboard at 95.4 degrees Fahrenheit (F) between the G and H keys, while the touchpad was 85.1 F.

The hottest part of the laptop was near the bottom-rear of the chassis, measuring 110 F.

While running the Metro Exodus stress test, the CPU measured 63.4 degrees Celsius (C). Meanwhile, the RTX 5070 came in at 63.2 C.

Webcam on the HyperX Omen 15

The Omen 15 uses a standard 1080p webcam with IR capabilities, meaning it can be used with Windows Hello biometric authentication in Windows 11.

The camera is fine, and by no means a standout in any particular area. It covers the basics, offering decent color reproduction, and did a passable job of picking out my facial hair. However, I did notice a fair amount of noise in the image. However, if you mainly use the camera to hop on a few Zoom calls here and there, it’s more than adequate.

HyperX Omen 15 Software and Warranty

HP has no qualms about loading up its systems with a copious amount of apps, as you'll find a variety of software including HP, HP Documentation, HP PC Hardware Diagnostics, HP Smart, HP Privacy Settings, and HP TV+ (and that's not even all of them).

However, the HP utility that you'll probably interact with the most is the Omen Gaming Hub. Here you'll find controls for tweaking nearly every aspect of the system, from power modes to RGB lighting for the keyboard.

The Omen 15 comes with a one-year manufacturer warranty.

HyperX Omen 15 Configurations

Our Omen 15 review unit came configured with an Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor, 32GB of DDR5-5600 memory, a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD, GeForce RTX 5070 GPU, and a 2880 x 1800 OLED 120 Hz display. It’s listed on HP’s website with an MSRP of $2,799, but is currently available for $2,099 with a 25% off coupon.

There are various configurations available with slightly different specs, but the 15-ga0762nr SKU features a Core i7-14650HX processor, 16GB of DDR5-5600 RAM, a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD, an RTX 5060 GPU, and a 2560 x 1600 OLED with a 180 Hz refresh rate. This system is priced at $1,999, or just a $100 discount compared to our review unit’s sale price. However, the price disparity makes more sense when you consider our review unit’s MSRP.

Bottom Line

On the one hand, the HyperX Omen 15 has solid gaming performance across the board, and its CPU performance in productivity tasks is top-of-the-class. In addition, the 15.3-inch OLED display looks great and offers an expansive 2880 x 1800 resolution.

On the other hand, the chassis is constructed of cheap and flexy plastic, while SSD performance lags behind its competitors. In addition, the display is limited to a 120 Hz refresh rate, and you don’t get any Thunderbolt ports (if that’s something that’s important to you at this price point).

Where things get even more complicated is with pricing. Our review unit carries an MSRP of $2,799, but HP is currently selling it for $2,099 after discounts. At MSRP, our review unit is an absolute non-starter, while the sale price makes it a much more palatable option. But even at its sale price, we feel that the Gigabyte Aero X16 makes a far more compelling buy at just $1,799.

Lenovo is providing a full spec list for the Yoga Pro 9n, the Nvidia RTX Spark-powered laptop it announced at Computex, and has a second Spark system ahead of IFA: the Yoga 9n 2-in-1, a 16-inch convertible.

Both systems are listed as using Grace CPUs with up to 20 Cores and Blackwell RTX graphics with up to 6,144 cores, suggesting there will be multiple RTX Spark chips to choose from for both systems. While the 2-in-1 will top out at 64GB of unified memory, the clamshell Yoga Pro will go up to 128GB. It's also notable that the 2-in-1 will use seemingly lower-end QLC storage, while that's not mentioned in the Pro specs. We also know that the 15-inch Pro will have up to 80W TDP, one of the first official TDPs we've heard for an RTX Spark system (we don't yet know that information for the 2-in-1).

Both are also pushing 9.2-megapixel cameras that connect directly to the processor, as well as the latest Wi-FI standards. The Yoga Pro 9n has a 15.3-inch, 2560 x 1600 OLED screen that sports variable refresh from 48 - 165 Hz, while the 2-in-1 has a larger 16-inch OLED screen at 2880 x 1800 and 30 - 120 Hz.

Both systems are all-black machines, with metal designs and a mix of reflective and matte materials, which we've seen in the Yoga line before, albeit usually in a dark blue color. The 2-in-1 brings back a soundbar in the hinge, which the company stopped using years ago, but allows for clear sound in any position.

Lenovo is pushing the clamshell Yoga Pro as an AI machine, using the Nvidia chip with its CUDA software to allow "increasingly sophisticated AI models to run locally on the device." Windows 11 is supposed to gain features to run more agentic AI, including OpenClaw and Hermes, using Nvidia's own openShell and Windows own security layer.

The system is also being advertised as capable of gaming, development work, video editing (the haptic touchpad features pen support for precise input), and rendering. Despite using Lenovo's premium consumer brand, the Yoga Pro 9n is arguably a workstation.

The Yoga 9n 2-in-1 is being pushed more heavily as a creativity device, with its touch-friendly design and the Yoga Pen Gen 2, though the company is touting AI models here, too. Specifically, Lenovo's blog posts calls out AI tools in ComfyUI and Adobe Premiere Pro, as well as local models like LTX (a model based on video rendering in physical space) and FLUX, a text-to-image model.

Lenovo is keeping the price and release date under wraps. The price, the company's press release says, will come at launch, but when that is isn't detailed. Previously, Nvidia announced that RTX Spark would release this fall.

The arrival of the MacBook Neo seems to have reminded other PC makers that people like color (and relative affordability), and the IdeaPad Vibe line appears to be Lenovo’s answer to both. Starting at $699 when they arrive later this year and offered in 14- or 15-inch screen sizes, the laptops will feature seven color options and either an all-metal chassis or a metal lid and keyboard deck, with a plastic bottom. In a twist, the company will also offer swappable keycaps (pretty uncommon in the laptop space) that can either match your laptop’s color or veer away from it for some striking contrast.

Lenovo says the laptops will start at 1.3kg (2.87 pounds), offer up to 24GB or 32GB of RAM (more with the AMD-based models, where you can also opt for a larger 65 WHr battery), and feature either 120 Hz IPS or OLED screens. Oddly, the OLED options will only be offered in the most subdued hues – lowkey gray and moody blue.

Internally, the Vibes feature two M.2 SSD slots and will be offered with either Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X or AMD’s Ryzen AI 400, and a 50 WHr battery as standard. Lenovo easily beats the MacBook Neo and Dell’s XPS 13 on ports, offering two USB Type-A and two Type-C ports (though they are all capped at 5 GB/s), along with HDMI, a headphone jack, and a microSD card slot.

Of course, given that both the AMD and Qualcomm chips feature prominent NPUs, Lenovo is also pushing its cross-platform Qira AI (also offered in Motorola phones), which the company says “features Workato-powered connections such as email, calendar, and collaboration services, helping users find relevant information and move from intent to action through natural-language requests with less app switching.”

Lenovo notes that Qira will only be offered “on select configurations,” and RAM is listed across the lineup simply as “up to 24GB.” Given the high price of memory these days, the $699 starting configs will almost certainly ship with just 8GB of RAM. So don’t expect the lower-end configurations to be particularly friendly when it comes to local AI tasks.

Lenovo says the AMD-based IdeaPad Vibe laptops will arrive first, starting in October, while Snapdragon models will land in November. And the company promises Intel options as well, arriving at an as-yet undisclosed date.

If you like the colors offered on the Vibe line, but don’t need portability, Lenovo will also be offering its IdeaCentre AIO i with Intel Core Series 3 CPUs and a 27-inch screen in similar colors. It will ship with a matching keyboard and mouse, starting at $939 in November.

Lenovo has a history of bringing concept laptops to the IFA trade show in Berlin, and this year’s pair are all about improving productivity and portability. They also feel closer to something you might actually buy than some concepts we’ve seen in the past.

First up, Project AeroBlade is a 14-inch laptop where, as the company’s press release puts it, “every component is re-engineered around mobility.” For starters, the laptop foregoes fans in favor of Frore Systems’ AirJet solid-state cooling tech, which uses piezoelectric membranes that vibrate ultrasonically, beyond the range of human hearing. There are four AirJet Mini modules here, which is three more than the single AirJet Mini we saw in Intel’s Wildcat Lake reference design back at Computex earlier this year. That should mean much better sustained performance than we’ve seen from passively cooled PCs in the past.

Frore System’s latest AirJet Mini modules are rated to dissipate 7.5 watts of heat, giving the AeroBlade laptop 30 watts of active heat dissipation. This pairs well with the 17-30W-TDP Intel Lunar Lake silicon Lenovo is using in this concept. The more recent Wildcat Lake chips are rated from 15-35W, so should also fare reasonably well with a similar solid-state cooling setup.

Project AeroBlade also uses a tiny motherboard, which, along with a magnesium-aluminum frame, results in a laptop that is just 0.39 inches (10 mm) thick and weighs less than 1.83 pounds (830 grams). The slimness means you’ll have to live on USB-C /Thunderbolt 4 ports alone, but the laptop includes three of them, along with an OLED screen and Wi-Fi 7.

The company is using Intel’s Lunar Lake here, but of course, if the concepts behind this design eventually become a laptop you can buy, it will ship with a more modern CPU. I’d love to see what kind of performance and battery life Wildcat or Panther Lake could deliver in this svelte laptop form factor.

The company is using Intel’s Lunar Lake here, but of course, if the concepts behind this design eventually become a laptop you can buy, it will ship with a more modern CPU. I’d love to see what kind of performance and battery life Wildcat or Panther Lake could deliver in this svelte laptop form factor.

A 17-inch screen in a 14-inch laptop

Project Swan sees Lenovo return to its rollable-screen ambitions, this time with a concept that at once feels more modest, mainstream, and achievable than previous attempts. Housed in a mostly standard-looking 14-inch ThinkBook chassis, the screen expands at the press of a button into a 17-inch, 16:9 display with a 2850 x 1672 resolution. That’s not quite 16:9, but there’s likely some small amount of the rollable OLED display that remains off the visible screen in this concept design.

As you would expect, this isn’t the thinnest or lightest 14-inch laptop, weighing in at 3.53 pounds (1.6kg) and measuring 0.7 inches (17.9 mm) thick. The extra bulk lives in the lid, which needs to house the rollable display mechanism, as well as bezels that expand out the sides. As is usually the case with these devices, the motor mechanism is louder than would likely be acceptable in a finished product, but at least it worked flawlessly during several open and close cycles – which is not always the case with concepts like this.

Hopefully Lenovo can shrink the required screen hardware slightly if a version of this design gets incorporated into a laptop you can actually buy. Because while I don’t love the extra bulk, the idea of a compact 14-inch laptop that can give me a 17-inch screen on the go is very appealing.

Nvidia is finally getting more specific about the launch of the RTX Spark. The chip, which it is now officially calling the "N1X," will launch in laptops in October and come in two configurations.

The more powerful option will mix a 20-core Grace CPU with a 6,144-core Blackwell GPU, and come with between 24 and 128GB of unified memory. The other variation uses an 18-core CPU and a cut-down 5,120-core Blackwell GPU with between 24 and 32GB of unified memory. That version will only be in laptops.

There's a lot that Nvidia hasn't specified outside of core counts and memory support, but with the chip launching next month, we're sure to find out more, either through Nvidia or OEMs, soon enough.

Nvidia made the announcement ahead of IFA in Berlin, where Lenovo and Acer announced new systems with Nvidia's new chips. Lenovo debuted the Yoga 9n 2-in-1 laptop, while Acer is debuting the SFF RTX Spark, a mini desktop. As of this writing, neither has pricing.

Further systems will come from Asus, Dell, MSI, HP, and Microsoft, the latter of which debuted the flagship Surface Laptop Ultra at Computex this year. These systems are being pushed as laptops and mini PCs meant primarily for agentic AI, though Nvidia has also demonstrated its gaming prowess in demos. We'll need to get our hands on these to test both scenarios. The company is also promising "all-day battery life," another claim we'll need to test.

The use of the N1X name has occurred in leaks, but this is the first time Nvidia has used it publicly. This suggests a separate, lower-end N1 chip may exist and be released down the line.

It's unclear exactly which devices will launch in October and which might come out later in the year. It's likely that that information will come soon, now that Nvidia has chosen a month. We'll also have to see if Microsoft's Agent Framework, which lets agents run in the background under control of the operating system, is ready in Windows by then.

Nvidia's unified memory approach is similar to the one popularized by Apple in its M-series chips, including the recently announced M6 and M5 Ultra, which also uses an Arm instruction set. On the x86 side, AMD's Strix Halo (and upcoming Gorgon Halo) also use unified memory.

The launch of these chips will also break Qualcomm's exclusivity on Windows on Arm, bringing a major new silicon vendor into the ecosystem, and possibly more partnerships from application developers eager to use Nvidia's tools.

AMD's Gorgon Halo is breaking cover at IFA. Ahead of the show, Lenovo revealed the ThinkCentre X Ultra with up to an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ Pro 495 processor, with an integrated AMD Radeon 8065S GPU, and 128GB of RAM.

The system is set to release in November 2026 with an "expected" starting price of $3,669, which is surely not for the top-end model.

The system is fairly compact at 7.2 x 7.2 x 2 inches, about two inches longer than a Mac Mini on either side. The front of the system features two 10GBps USB-C ports and a headphone jack. The back boasts DisplayPort 2.1 and HDMI 2.1, two 10GBps USB Type-A ports, a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports (USB 40GBps, rare on AMD platforms), a 10Gb Ethernet jack, and a punch-out port to add additional output. Lighting on the system that you can see through the front air intakes shows the system status at a glance.

Lenovo is offering both Linux and Windows options. The system will come with AMD Ryzen AI Developer Center, which includes preconfigured AI models and tools, as well as example workflows to use. Up to four ThinkCentre X Ultras can be used in a cluster to run larger models, more agents, extra requests, or longer context windows.

Lenovo and AMD are set to have some competition in the mini PC space this year, as Nvidia is launching systems with its RTX Spark from OEM companies sometime this fall.

Many a 20th-century PC enthusiast’s first taste of computing came through the purchase of a Packard Bell pre-built, for rosy-tinted-spectacles good or scarred-for-life bad. It was a huge player in the mid-90s, with over 45% retail market share in the U.S. at its peak. Now Packard Bell is back, under the wing of Acer at IFA 2026, with the Taiwanese PC maker’s unveiling of the Dot family, including a laptop, headphones, input peripherals, and more. However, Packard Bell products will be European market exclusives for now, reports ComputerBase (machine translation).

The Dot series of products, including the headlining DotBook 14, are aimed at the cheap and cheerful end of the market, and it looks like they intend to cut through with quirky and vibrant designs. “Who needs a Formula 1 car for shopping?” asks Acer / Packard Bell on the official product page.

Looking more closely at this laptop’s hardware, it is a 14.5-inch model powered by a last-gen Intel Twin Lake chip.

The Intel Twin Lake processor seems decent, with eight cores (all E-Cores) and running up to 3.9 GHz. The relatively poor touted 7-hour battery life is partly due to a smallish battery.

Design rather than tech specs will likely be an aspect of the DotBook that catches the eyes of laptop buyers. Acer shows off a bright orange clamshell design. The curious orange-among-the-white keys are the Escape, Enter, P, and B keys – does it make some sense now?

The price of the new Packard Bell DotBook 14 looks a little high considering the specs. We’ve seen sources suggesting a €499 price tag, which is roughly $580. But remember European prices include applicable sales tax so the price you see is what you pay. We note that cheap, performant, new Wildcat Lake laptops such as the Chuwi UniBook we reviewed are already around to spoil the DotBook party. Chuwi’s laptop costs $449 and ran for over 14 hours of battery life in our tests. Maybe our nostalgic U.S. readers should not be upset the DotBook is Europe-only.

Other Packard Bell Dot products showcased at IFA include colorful keyboards and mice. There are also some Dot headphones, speakers, a feature phone, a ring light, a food steamer, and even a turntable, for some reason. Mr. Leon Packard and Mr. Herb Bell could never have foreseen such gadgets when the corporation was originally founded nearly 100 years ago.

Names like Sugon or Hygon may not appear on lists of the best CPUs since they often fly under the radar. However, that does not mean they are not making substantial strides in China. According to the latest ITHome report, Sugon has recently teased an upcoming mobile workstation (MWS) designed to push the boundaries of AI performance. The next-generation device boasts a powerful domestic 64-thread processor paired with 16GB of VRAM, a combination that delivers up to 50 tokens per second on local 35B MoE AI models.

Sugon’s device is closer to a traditional laptop form factor rather than those pseudo-portable workstations we have seen over the years that look more like a desktop stuffed inside a suitcase. The mobile workstation is 0.665 inches (16.9 mm) thick, so it is right in line with the thin and lightweight premium laptop category, only slightly thicker than ultrabooks.

Sugon, a prominent Chinese supercomputer manufacturer, does not actually produce processors. Last year, Sugon attempted to merge with Hygon, which originated from a joint venture between AMD and Chinese partners, in hopes of creating a domestic server superpower to rival global giants such as HPE and Dell, but the deal did not go through. Nonetheless, the failed merger did not alter the already close relationship between Sugon and Hygon, with the former already being the latter's largest shareholder.

Sugon did not officially disclose which processor will power the mobile workstation. However, the manufacturer will likely source it from its long-time partner, Hygon. Sadly, knowing the chip has 64 threads does not give us a complete picture of which processor model is inside Sugon's device. For several years, Hygon has offered processors with designs up to 32 cores and 64 threads. Four generations of Hygon chips, spanning from the C86-1G to the C86-4G series, leveraged licensed Zen IP from AMD.

Alternatively, Sugon’s mobile workstation may tap Hygon's latest C86-5G chips. These processors are particularly interesting because Hygon claims they utilize a “new self-developed microarchitecture,” signaling the departure from AMD's Zen microarchitecture. The new C86-5G series, which supports AVX-512, features a four-way simultaneous multithreading (SMT4) configuration, or in other words, four threads per core. If Sugon’s mobile workstation is indeed equipped with one of these chips, it would likely be a 16-core, 64-thread configuration that could provide decent processing power for AI.

The small teaser specifically highlights the inclusion of 16GB of VRAM. The small detail clearly indicates the mobile workstation will come equipped with a discrete graphics card instead of integrated graphics. According to the vendor, the combination of the 64-thread processor and the mysterious 16GB discrete graphics card will deliver AI inference performance that is between 3X and 5X faster than mainstream products currently available on the market.

The performance figures being thrown around are up to 50 tokens per second when running a massive 35-billion-parameter Mixture of Experts (MoE) model locally. By comparison, standard cloud APIs typically offer throughput ranging from 30 to 80 tokens per second. If Sugon can deliver on its promise, its mobile workstation could be a true game-changer for AI workloads.

Sugon has not revealed the availability or pricing for the forthcoming mobile workstation. Given the current pricing for memory and storage products, we expect the mobile workstation to cost a small fortune.

Following Acer's release of the budget-oriented Acer Swift Air 14, the company is now releasing more thin systems based on Intel's Wildcat Lake chips to build out its mid-level offerings. Ahead of IFA, Acer debuted the Swift Blade 14, weighing in at just 799 grams (1.76 pounds), as well as a 16-inch Swift Air.

Swift Blade is a new sub-brand for the Swift line. To achieve featherweight status, the chassis is a mix of aluminum-magnesium alloy and carbon fiber. The laptop is 0.51 inches at its thinnest, so you likely won't notice it in a backpack. The system will come in two colors: marshmallow white and marshmallow blue.

The Blade 14 uses Intel's Wildcat Lake chips, ranging from the Core 3 304 all the way up to the Core 7 350, along with 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM. Its ports include three USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C ports (one of which is solely for data transfer) and a headphone jack.

The Acer Swift Air 16 is largely a bigger version of the Swift Air 14 it announced at Computex, though you'll also get an OLED display and quad-speaker audio. This system will come in three colors: elemental blue, sage green, and sandstone gold, though in the US, the 14-inch version only ended up shipping in sage. It has many of the benefits the 14-inch version, including an aluminum build, Thunderbolt 4 ports, and a 100W power adapter.

Both systems will come with a variety of OLED and IPS LCD screen options.

Both the Swift Blade 14 and Swift Air 16 are set to launch in North America in the first quarter of 2027, but they'll ship in December in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Dell has been spending its year taking on the MacBook Neo and settling in as a staunch advocate of the mid-range laptop. The Dell XPS 13 debuted at $699 to take on Apple's budget device with a higher end screen and lighter chassis, but ahead of IFA, Dell has a new strategy: colors.

The company announced the new Dell 14S (model DS14270), which, like the XPS 13, it's aiming at students and young adults and professionals looking for an "accessible" price tag. The system comes in four color options: linen (a light gold), dusty rose (a subtle pink), washed denim (a light sky blue), and velvet green (a barely teal shade).

"Color is not simply a finishing touch on the Dell 14S," Dell head of product Matt McGowan said in a press briefing ahead of the announcement. "It is the design story." The system is made of aluminum and starts at 2.65 pounds (1.15 kg). It measures 0.48 inches (12.21) mm at the thinnest point and 0.58 inches (13.5 mm) at the thickest.

Dell claims the 14S is the first laptop with a 750 ED PNCM battery, with a cell that stays cool and discharges more slowly. McGowan promised 21 hours of Netflix streaming.

The 14S has more ports than the XPS 13, including two 10Gbps USB-C ports, an HDMI output, and a headphone jack. The XPS 13 only features a pair of USB-C ports. But where the XPS 13 has Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 for wireless connectivity, the 14S relies on older Wi-Fi 6 and 6E standards, as well as older variants of Bluetooth 5.

The base 1920 x 1200 display is lower-resolution than the Dell XPS 13 (and lacks touch), but the high-end 2880 x 1800 version surpasses the XPS, further entangling the commonalities between the budget systems.

The Dell 14S will launch later this fall, with Dell promising pricing will be announced closer to availability. McGowan said to expect the 14S to be "priced complimentary to the XPS 13."

Alienware’s 16X Aurora (starts at $1,979.99) isn’t just another spec-sheet powerhouse – it’s a statement in restraint. Alienware has shifted toward performance-first minimalism with a cleaner, RGB-free chassis, but it doesn’t compromise on the specs: a 16-inch OLED display running at a blistering 240 Hz, Intel’s Core Ultra HX-series CPU, and Nvidia’s latest RTX 50-series graphics. While its bulk and limited battery life prevents it from being a great travel companion, the Aurora’s overall competence make it worth your attention.

Design of the Alienware 16X Aurora

The Aurora is a discreet gaming laptop. Aside from its nearly inch-thick profile, it does little to distinguish itself. Alienware’s “interstellar indigo” chassis is plain, and the iconic Alien head on the lid is hard to see against it. Unlike many previous-generation Alienware laptops, this one has no external lighting.

Alienware’s build quality is substantial, with aluminum top and bottom panels. A magnesium internal frame keeps the laptop rigid, though the lid can still be opened one-handed. Rounded edges on the bottom of the chassis make the Aurora comfortable to transport, though at 5.66 pounds, it’s a handful. Acer’s Nitro V 16S AI (4.55 pounds) and Gigabyte’s Aero X16 (4.2 pounds) are much lighter.

Alienware’s port selection spreads across the left and rear edges: Thunderbolt 4, USB-C (10 Gbps), two USB-A (5 Gbps), HDMI 2.1, Ethernet, and an audio jack. Having some connections on the back, particularly the barrel-style power connector, preserves mouse space. Internally, the Aurora includes Wi-Fi 7 courtesy of a MediaTek MT7925 card.

Alienware 16X Aurora Specifications

Gaming and Graphics on the Alienware 16X Aurora

We tested the 16X Aurora in its entry-level configuration, featuring a Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus processor, a GeForce RTX 5060 GPU, and 16GB of dual-channel DDR5-5600 RAM.

I saw between 60 and 70 frames per second (fps) playing 007 First Light at 2560 x 1600 with medium settings and DLSS (but not frame generation). The game ran smoothly and didn’t stutter.

For performance comparisons, the Aurora faced the Acer Nitro V 16S AI (Ryzen 7 260, RTX 5060 85 W, $1,299.99 when tested), the Asus TUF Gaming F16 (Core i7-14650HX, RTX 5050 115 W, $1,199.99), and the Gigabyte Aero X16 (Ryzen AI 7 350, RTX 5070 85 W, $1,899.99).

Our comparisons will focus on the 1920 x 1080 resolution. We also included results at each laptop's native resolution: 2560 x 1600 for our Aurora as well as the Gigabyte Aero X16, and 1920 x 1200 for the Acer Nitro and Asus TUF units.

The Aurora 16X is competitive but doesn't stand out in this group. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Far Cry 6, and Borderlands 3, it performed 20 to 25% better than the RTX 5060-powered Acer and RTX 5050-powered Asus, but those two surprisingly did better in Cyberpunk 2077 and matched the Aurora in Red Dead Redemption 2.

The Aurora produced varied results against the RTX 5070-powered Gigabyte; While the Aurora took a sizable lead in Far Cry 6 and matched it in Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Borderlands 3, it fell behind in Cyberpunk 2077 and Borderlands 3.

At its 2560 x 1600 native resolution, the Aurora took a drastic performance hit of around 50% from 1080p – from 111 to 64 fps in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, 101 to 72 fps in Far Cry 6, 99 to 64 fps in Borderlands 3, 28 to 15 fps in Cyberpunk 2077, and 69 to 45 fps in Red Dead Redemption 2 – but, excepting Cyberpunk 2077, its performance remained playable.

To stress-test gaming laptops, we run 15 loops of the Metro Exodus benchmark at RTX settings, simulating about half an hour of gaming. The Aurora averaged 76 fps across all runs with no more than a fraction of one frame between runs. During the test, the Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus ran at 3.1 GHz on its P-cores and 2.5 GHz on its E-cores while the RTX 5060 ran at 2.48 GHz.

Productivity Performance on the Alienware 16X Aurora

Our Aurora 16X arrives with a Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD.

Powered by the Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus, the Aurora predictably outclassed these competitors, which all use previous-generation processors and/or lower-tier chips. In Geekbench 6, it took the top single-core (3,065) and multi-core (17,753) scores, distantly trailed by the Core i7-14650HX-powered Asus (2,710 and 15,013) and Ryzen AI 7 350-powered Gigabyte (2,916 and 14,074). It also clinched the leading time of 2 minutes and 25 seconds in our 4K-to-1080p Handbrake transcoding test, easily outdoing the Asus (3:33), Gigabyte (3:54), and Acer (4:32).

The Aurora also took top honors in our 25GB file transfer test, averaging 2,358.23 MBps. Acer’s Nitro V 16S AI (1,838.88 MBps), the next fastest unit, wasn’t even close.

Display on the Alienware 16X Aurora

All Aurora configurations include the same 16-inch OLED panel with a 2560 x 1600 resolution, 240 Hz refresh rate, and Nvidia G-Sync support. It’s the laptop’s standout feature, pairing the inky contrast expected from OLED with vivid color and unusually strong brightness for this panel type.

In 007 First Light, OLED added a level of depth that a lesser display wouldn’t match, giving shadow-heavy night scenes a richer, moodier look while keeping Malta’s sunlit desert environments bright and crisp. The panel’s sharpness and color also stood out while watching Avengers: Endgame, where fine details such as the nano-texture pattern on Iron Man’s suit were easy to pick out. There’s little to criticize here: the Aurora’s display is excellent.

Our lab results back that up. The Aurora peaked at 381.4 nits, which is bright for OLED and nearly tied the IPS-equipped Acer Nitro V 16S AI at 391.8 nits while nudging past the Gigabyte Aero X16’s 368.6 nits. Color coverage was also impressive, reaching 138% of DCI-P3 and topping both the Asus TUF Gaming F16 at 122.2% and the Gigabyte at 110.8%.

Keyboard and Touchpad on the Alienware 16X Aurora

I nearly matched my personal best typing speed on the 16X Aurora, hitting 123 words per minute with 99% accuracy in the MonkeyType typing test. The keys have enough travel and a precise feel, but the overall typing experience is competent rather than memorable. The RGB backlighting only has one zone, and while Alienware Command Center offers effects such as breathing, morph, pulse, spectrum, and rainbow wave, the excitement is undermined by the lighting being too dim to stand out in a well-lit room.

The touchpad is similarly ordinary. It’s average-sized, with a smooth tracking surface and predictable top-hinged mechanical clicks, though those clicks are louder than I prefer.

Audio on the Alienware 16X Aurora

The Aurora’s speakers are serviceable but unremarkable. Their placement on the sides of the palm rest creates a decent stereo effect, and output is clean enough, with no obvious tinniness and adequate volume for personal listening. In Phil Collins’ “Don’t Lose My Number,” however, drum hits lacked low-end impact, even though vocals came through clearly and instrument separation was strong.

Movies and games fare better with the Dolby app’s Movie and Gaming modes since they boost the sense of surround sound and help the sound feel fuller, but the weak bass still holds back the overall experience.

Upgradeability of the Alienware 16X Aurora

The Aurora is about as upgradeable as laptops get. Opening it up is mostly straightforward - undo the Philips-head screws in the bottom cover, then use a plastic pry tool to pop the clips around the edges. Not all the screws are the same size, and the rear corners are captive and don’t come out.

Upgrades include two DDR5 SO-DIMM slots under the square black shield between the cooling fans, two M.2 2280 drive slots, an M.2 2230 wireless card, and the 96 Whr battery.

Battery Life on the Alienware 16X Aurora

Our battery testing consists of web browsing, running OpenGL tests, and streaming videos with the screen at 150 nits while connected to Wi-Fi. The Aurora’s time of 7 hours and 58 minutes is middling, outlasting only the Asus (6:57). The Gigabyte (9:13) and the Acer (10:17) both lasted several hours longer.

Heat on the Alienware 16X Aurora

During our 15-loop Metro Exodus stress test, surface temperatures on the Aurora were 101 degrees Fahrenheit (F) between the G and H keys, 83 F on the touchpad, and 101 F on the underside around the exhaust vents.

Internally, the Core Ultra 7 270HX plus averaged 67 Celsius (C) while the RTX 5060 ran at 73 C.

Webcam on the Alienware 16X Aurora

Alienware’s 1080p webcam shows slight grain and the image looks slightly over-sharpened, but the picture is well-exposed, colorful, and doesn’t blow out highlights. It’s missing a privacy shutter, but that’s not unusual for a gaming laptop. It does, however, include an IR sensor for facial recognition logins via Windows Hello.

Software and Warranty on the Alienware 16X Aurora

The Aurora’s main app is Alienware Command Center, which brings system monitoring, power profiles, keyboard lighting, and game library management into one place. Its power presets cover battery, quiet, balanced, and performance modes, while AlienFX handles the single-zone RGB keyboard effects. The app also links out to Dolby for audio tuning. Dell SupportAssist is also included for support access and system updates.

The laptop is backed by a one-year warranty.

Alienware 16X Aurora Configurations

We tested the 16X Aurora in a mildly upgraded configuration, which pairs a Core Ultra 7 270HX processor with an RTX 5060 GPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. It retails for $2,279.99 from Dell, though I saw it as low as $1,679.99 during our review period. The base model drops to a 512GB SSD and retails for $1,529.99.

Available upgrades include a Core Ultra 9 290HX CPU and RTX 5070 or RTX 5070 Ti graphics. Adding both the Ultra 9 and the 5070 Ti pushes the price to $3,029.99. The memory tops out at 64GB (two 32GB modules) and storage drives are available up to 4TB (two 2TB drives in RAID 0).

Standard features across all models include the 16-inch 2560 x 1600 OLED display, 96 Whr battery, single-zone keyboard backlighting, and Wi-Fi 7.

Dell’s pricing seems to align with the market – I found various other gaming laptops featuring a Core HX-class CPU, a premium screen, and an RTX 5060 or RTX 5070 for within about $100 of what the Aurora commanded.

Bottom Line

The Alienware 16X Aurora is a highly competent gaming laptop with a clear highlight: its superb 16-inch OLED display. It pairs solid gaming performance with reassuring build quality, practical connectivity, and strong upgradeability, while avoiding any major pitfalls. Portability is the main tradeoff, as its weight, size, and middling battery life make it feel more like a desktop replacement than an everyday carry than something like the Razer Blade 16. But if you want a sturdy, capable 16-inch gaming system with a gorgeous screen and few real compromises, the Aurora is easy to recommend.

Asus has been putting liquid metal on mobile dies used in its laptops for a few years at this point. Liquid metal as a TIM has its place, but it's a highly inconsistent solution to a problem that can be solved by other materials. Such was the case with u/nicknickmeetnick, whose Zephyrus M16 gaming laptop was overheating and restarting on its own. Turns out, the instability came from an issue born from the factory — the liquid metal applied on the CPU had slowly eaten away at the heatsink and almost reached the silicon itself.

The post above explains the ordeal in detail and how the user ultimately fixed their problems. The laptop in question is a Zephyrus M16 model from 2022 with an Intel Core i9-12900H processor that was bought just over three years ago. During this period, the laptop was mostly used for lightweight tasks instead of gaming or anything that'd stress it. However, as of late, Nick started to run into various issues where his laptop would overheat and thermal throttle to the point of hard-crashing. Before it'd crash, performance in games would already be degraded.

Nick felt his machine was getting warmer than usual, so he ordered some PTM7950 phase change material to repaste the aging hardware. He was ready to use GD900 thermal paste, but upon opening the laptop, he discovered something shocking. The liquid metal on the CPU was so poorly applied that the overheating processor made some of the liquid metal burn onto the heatsink. Underneath, there's only a thin lid that protects the silicon, and Asus applies liquid metal on top of that as well. The metal here had also spilled out of its dedicated cavity.

We don't need to tell you why that would be a devastating and instantaneous catastrophe. Liquid metal is electrically conductive, which means if it comes into contact with surrounding componentry, it can create microbridges that will short anything in the way. Asus, however, seems to be mixing some abrasive chemicals into the liquid metal to make it more adhesive, such that it sticks to the die better. Unfortunately, these chemicals eat away at the metal over time and cause corrosion.

That's ostensibly what wore out the heatsink and almost the lid underneath as well. Had the user waited for just a while longer, the liquid metal could've seeped onto the die itself. Thankfully, the rogue TIM was removed just in time, but even that process was quite interesting. The OP explained how he used dried cotton to manipulate the existing liquid metal into sanding away the corrosion before taking everything out. For that, he used lots of isopropyl alcohol with cotton sticks to form the liquid metal into a blob that was easy to pluck away with painter's tape.

Once the CPU was nice and clean (well, as clean as possible), OP re-applied GD900 thermal paste and closed everything back up. Right away, the temperatures improved tenfold, and the laptop ran much cooler. Remember, the PTM7950 hasn't even arrived yet, so it will only get better from here. The random reboots stopped, and the only game Nick plays with his kids is now running three times as smoothly. Removing the liquid metal tripled his FPS and restored the Zephyrus M16 to its full glory.

He advised others to do the same. In fact, he suggests banning liquid metal entirely from electronics. It shouldn't be used in laptops to begin with since they're portable devices that move a lot, but even discrete GPUs that sit still for years face problems. This wasn't an isolated case either. A simple Google search returned a dozen different posts on Reddit about liquid metal woes on Asus laptops, which just goes to show that automated, assembly-line liquid metal application is still not perfect.

An enterprising founder and indie hacker has successfully pre-sold enough advertisement sticker space on his dream MacBook’s lid to raise 111% of the laptop’s retail price. Vincent, AKA @VynseDev on Twitter/X, has so far raised $3,274 across a total of 10 sticker positions. With over 12 days of the auction remaining, it isn’t beyond the realm of possibility that the cheeky Bordeaux-based chancer could raise enough for several laptops.

Vincent admits that his Brand My Mac project isn’t an original idea. In a follow-up Tweet, the founder tips his hat to prior projects like Outbid by Jonathan Wilke and BrandMyTesla from Im Bulent. We also recall money-spinning digital online experiments in a similar vein, like the Million Dollar Homepage, and perhaps even the whole NFT industry.

However, the fact that these projects get column inches in media coverage shows that the auctioned advertising space isn’t just seen on Vincent’s new MacBook “both online and IRL.” Advertisers also might get their logos seen in articles like this, as well as in subsequent coverage that comes at the end of the auction.

While logos in the video are obviously placeholders, as Vincent also mentions on social media, the Brand My Mac website shows the current 10 leading bidders’ logos and positions in a rendered Apple laptop. Also on the dedicated auction website, you can see the current winning bid for each spot. Note that some spots command far higher premiums than others, and on either side of the immutable Apple logo there are a pair of half-sized slots.

The prime advertising real estate area of a laptop lid seems to be at the top-middle position, above the Apple logo. Currently, the leader here is RISTI with its bid of $761. For the fee, and by our understanding of the FAQ, Vincent will print and apply a “die-cut vinyl sticker of your logo” in the position you secure. A link on the Brand My Mac website is also thrown in. If you are interested in bidding, you must at least beat the current bid by €10 ($11.65).

With this latest ‘Brand My’ project going viral and already a surefire success, there are some copycat endeavors popping up. Actually, Vincent sees copycats as an opportunity so has decided to create a waitlist for followers to highlight any machine, at any price. Then Vincent’s backend build will have you covered: “the sticker spots, the auction, and everything else is handled for you,” says the enterprising founder and indie hacker.

Finding a good budget laptop under $500 has always been challenging, and rising component costs have pushed even the most basic models over that mark. Chuwi’s UniBook, for $449, looks tempting on paper, pairing Intel's latest entry-level Core processor with a thin metal chassis, a backlit keyboard, and more ports than many of the best laptops. But as with most bargain notebooks, the question is whether spending more is worthwhile, and our overall experience is that the extra you’d spend for the Dell XPS 13 or MacBook Neo gets you a markedly better laptop experience.

Design of the Chuwi UniBook

The UniBook looks more expensive than its $449 price tag suggests. Its aluminum alloy lid and bottom cover give it clean, modern look, while the slim profile helps it blend in with far more expensive ultraportables. It feels solid, with little evidence of flex.

Its compact 0.65-inch profile and 2.64-pound weight make it easy to slip into a bag, and its understated design would look at home in almost any environment. Both the MacBook Neo and the Dell XPS 13 are thinner, and the latter considerably lighter (2.2 pounds), but both are more expensive.

Port selection is the biggest surprise. While many thin-and-light laptops reduce connectivity, Chuwi went the opposite direction, with two USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 ports (both supporting power delivery and DisplayPort), three USB-A ports (two 3.2 Gen 1 and one 2.0), HDMI 1.4b, Gigabit Ethernet, an audio jack, and even a micoSD card slot. Compare this to the USB-C-only selection on the MacBook Neo (which also features a headphone jack) and XPS 13.

Internally, the UniBook’s Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 standards aren’t the newest, but are perfectly adequate for this laptop’s intended use.

Chuwi UniBook Specifications

Productivity Performance on the Chuwi UniBook

We evaluated the Chuwi UniBook with an Intel Core 3 304 processor, Intel Graphics, 8GB of LPDDR5-6400 memory, and a 256GB PCIe 3.0 SSD.

Our comparison lineup consists of the Apple MacBook Neo and Dell XPS 13. Both laptops start at $699.99 before education discounts, and pack more powerful hardware. The UniBook’s Core 3 304 processor, featuring one performance core and a 4.3 GHz boost, is at a disadvantage next to the Dell’s Core 5 320 processor, which offers two performance cores and a 4.6 GHz boost. Meanwhile, the MacBook Neo uses a smartphone-grade but very capable A18 Pro chip.

The UniBook trailed the XPS 13 and MacBook Neo across the board. Some of this was expected – for instance, its Geekbench multi-core score of 5,889 points was well south of the XPS 13’s 7,952 and the MacBook Neo’s 8,920, a product of its weaker CPU. This followed into its last-place Handbrake showing.

However, its 294 MBps average speed in our 25GB file transfer test was particularly low even for a budget laptop, with less than half the throughput of the MacBook Neo and not even one quarter of the XPS 13’s. You could tell on paper this would happen, givenit's using the older PCIe 3.0 technology.

In daily use, the slow storage drive and single performance core didn’t hamper basic usage. The laptop booted without delay and webpages loaded quickly. With just 8GB of RAM (which can’t be upgraded), multitasking will be limited, but this laptop isn’t aimed at power users.

We normally run 10 loops of Cinebench 2024 or 2026 to stress-test productivity laptops, but both refused to run the UniBook – 2024 cited a GPU memory allocation issue and 2026 crashed at startup. The system’s 8GB of RAM may have been the culprit. As an alternative, we reran our Handbrake video transcoding test. During the test, the Core 3 304 operated at average frequencies of 3.46 GHz on its P-core and 3.1 GHz on its E-cores.

Display on the Chuwi UniBook

The UniBook’s 14-inch, 1920 x 1200 display is serviceable, but it’s also one of the clearest reminders that this is a budget laptop. Though its IPS technology provides wide viewing angles and it benefits from a practical anti-glare surface, dull colors and lack of contrast produce a washed-out picture. Brightness is adequate for indoor use only. In Captain America: Civil War, scenes that should have looked bright and punchy instead appeared subdued, with colors that felt muted rather than lively. For instance, the red on Captain America’s shield skewed more towards orange than red.

The UniBook’s panel covered just 62% of the sRGB color gamut and less than half of DCI-P3, putting it well behind the MacBook Neo and Dell XPS 13. Brightness was also modest at 298.8 nits, more than enough for typical indoor work but not ideal near bright windows or outdoors. For writing, browsing, and streaming casual video, the display is acceptable; for anything else, it is a compromise.

Keyboard and Touchpad on the Chuwi UniBook

The UniBook's keyboard is one of its highlights. Chuwi includes white backlighting, a welcome addition that's often omitted on budget laptops. (Notably, it’s missing from the MacBook Neo.) The keys are comfortably sized and spaced, making it easy to settle into a comfortable typing rhythm. I reached 120 words per minute with perfect accuracy on Monkeytype during my initial run – it felt predictable and responsive, though some keys exhibited occasional rattling that detracted from an otherwise positive typing experience.

The touchpad is compact but responsive and accurate. Its main drawback is the loud mechanical click mechanism, which is noisier than I expected and can become noticeable in quiet environments. Everyone within earshot will know you’re clicking. Otherwise, using the touchpad is comfortable and predictable.

Audio on the Chuwi UniBook

Audio performance is one of the UniBook’s weaker areas. While usable for voice calls, with sufficient volume and clarity, they struggle with entertainment. The sound is thin and lacks bass response, leaving music sounding flat and lacking impact. Listening to Phil Collins’ “Don’t Lose My Number”, for example, I heard almost no bass and the vocals lacked depth. The laptop doesn’t include an audio tuning app with equalizers.

Speaker positioning is also a problem. Because the speakers fire downward from the underside of the chassis near the palm rests, they only perform well when the laptop is on a hard surface. The sound is noticeably muffled if the laptop is in your lap or on a couch or bed.

Upgradeability of the Chuwi UniBook

The Chuwi UniBook offers reasonable upgradeability: the M.2 2280 SSD, M.2 2230 wireless card, and battery can all be changed out by removing the bottom panel. Removing the panel is straightforward, though two different sizes of Philips-head screws are used. The clips on the back edge can then be popped using a plastic pry tool, followed by the sides.

Battery Life on the Chuwi UniBook

Our battery testing consists of web browsing, running OpenGL tests, and streaming videos with the screen at 150 nits while connected to Wi-Fi. The UniBook’s time of 14 hours and 14 minutes is an excellent result for a budget laptop. It practically tied the XPS 13 (14:28) and nosed past the MacBook Neo (13:28).

Heat on the Chuwi UniBook

We normally measure peak laptop surface temperatures while running 10 loops of Cinebench, but that benchmark wouldn’t run on the UniBook. We substituted it with our Handbrake video transcoding test, which fully stressed the CPU for about 12 minutes. The UniBook’s surfaces didn’t stray far from room temperature – we recorded 80 degrees Fahrenheit on the touchpad, 88 F between the keyboard G and H keys, and 92 F on the bottom near the exhaust vents.

Internally, the Core 3 304 ran at an average temperature of 73 degrees Celsius. The exhaust fan was audible but restrained.

Webcam on the Chuwi UniBook

Chuwi’s webcam isn’t great – with just a 720p sensor, images have a soft focus and lack detail. I couldn’t read my wristwatch when I held it more than two feet away. On the bright side, it does offer a privacy shutter, which sometimes even pricier laptops leave out.

Software and Warranty on the Chuwi UniBook

Beyond the usual apps included with Windows 11 Home, Chuwi preloads no other software onto the UniBook.

The laptop is backed by a one-year warranty. Sending the laptop for warranty repairs could prove costly as it will need to be shipped to Hong Kong or Germany at the owners’ expense. (See Chuwi’s warranty policy.)

Chuwi UniBook Configurations

We reviewed the Chuwi UniBook featuring a Core 3 304 processor, Intel Graphics, 8GB of LPDDR5 memory, a 256GB SSD, and a 14-inch IPS 1080p display. It was listed at $449 on Chuwi’s online store at the time of this review, discounted from its $569 MSRP.A second configuration with an Intel Core 5 315, 12GB of RAM, 512GB of storage and a 1080p display that the company claims will cover 100% of the sRGB gamut was listed late in our testing process. As of this writing, the company told us this system is in production but doesn't have a price or release date.

Bottom Line

For buyers seeking a basic ultraportable, the Chuwi UniBook gets a few of the fundamentals right. Solid port selection and respectable battery life stand out in a price bracket where there are typically many compromises. Unfortunately, the compromises stack too quickly: performance that trails far behind machines like the Dell XPS 13 and MacBook Neo, a below-average display, weak speakers and webcam, and the ongoing risk of costly out‑of‑warranty repairs. So while its savings look good on paper, the many downsides and possibility of expensive service make it worthwhile to stretch your budget for a MacBook Neo or XPS 13, both of which are safer long-term investments.

A year after killing off its long-running XPS premium consumer brand, Dell did an about-face at CES early this year, promising new models, including the redesigned XPS 13 we’re looking at here. But between Dell’s announcement and the XPS 13’s launch, Apple stunned the portable PC world with its budget-priced, unquestionably pretty MacBook Neo, at a starting price of $599 (which got bumped up to $699 in June), leaving even Windows die-hards wondering how PC makers were going to compete in the budget and mid-range laptop space.

Dell clearly decided the XPS 13 was its answer to the Neo, giving it a starting price of $699 for the model with 8GB of RAM (comparable to the Neo), or $899 for the 16GB model. Both options sport the same 512GB of SSD storage and an Intel Series 3 Core 5 320 (Wildcat Lake) CPU. We tested both the 8GB and 16GB models, though there is little difference outside of memory capacity.

Design of the Dell XPS 13 (2026)

The XPS 13 may lack the design flourishes of previous XPS models (there is no carbon fiber to be found), but if I had to describe the new XPS 13’s look in one word, it would be “refined.” Available in the silver “sky” color of our review unit, or a darker gray “storm” hue, all the edges are rounded, and the all-aluminum chassis feels premium, with only some slight flex. And I like the understated branding, with a slim, mirrored XPS logo on top and a smaller mirrored Dell logo underneath.

It’s a look that generally doesn’t stray far from the Apple laptop standard, but the XPS 13 actually feels better in the hands than the MacBook Neo. At 11.69 x 7.9 x 0.5 inches, the Dell’s dimensions roughly match the Neo (11.71 x 8.12 x 0.5 inches), but the XPS is a half-pound lighter (2.2 pounds for the Dell versus 2.7 pounds for the Apple), and Dell tapers its edges more, making it feel slimmer. Both are attractive laptops, to be sure, but having held them both side-by-side, I slightly prefer the XPS 13. And considering how much the MacBook Neo wowed the consumer tech world earlier this year, that’s an impressive achievement from Dell.

Port selection is relegated to a single USB-C port on either side. But with the XPS 13, both are 10 Gbps ports that support DisplayPort 2.1 and charging, while Apple’s competition has one 10 Gbps port and one much slower USB 2.0 port (both are USB-C). Apple does include a headphone jack, which the XPS 13 lacks, and that will be annoying for some. But Dell includes a keyboard backlight while Apple leaves your fingers to fumble around in the dark. Personally, I’d take a backlight over an audio jack any day.

The only thing I don’t love about the new XPS 13’s design is the somewhat sharp edge of metal at the bottom rear, behind the exhaust vents. Because the laptop is so slim and light, I found myself grabbing it by any and all angles, and this is the one area where it doesn’t feel premium or comfortable to hold.

Dell XPS 13 (2026) Specifications

Productivity Performance on the Dell XPS 13 (2026)

We tested both the 8GB and 16GB variants of the XPS 13. Aside from RAM capacity, the two machines share the same Intel “Wildcat Lake” Series 3 Core 5 320 CPU, with two Performance cores that can Turbo up to 4.6 GHz and four Efficient cores that can hit 3.4 GHz.

Both systems also make do with 512GB of SSD storage (there are no other capacity options). As we’ll get into in our testing, while the performance is roughly similar, our XPS systems had two different drives: one from SK hynix and the other from Kioxia.

As for comparisons, we’ve included the similarly priced (at least to the 8GB mode) MacBook Neo. And on the Windows side, we’ve included the Chuwi UniBook, which has a plastic chassis and a lesser Wildcat Lake CPU, as well as Dell’s XPS 14 with a more powerful Core Ultra 7 355 CPU and a much higher price of nearly $2,000 as tested.

On Geekbench 6, the XPS 13 bested the Chuwi UniBook with its lesser Core 3 304 CPU, but fell behind the MacBook Neo, and by no small amount on the single-core test. The pricier, Panther Lake-powered XPS 14, interestingly, fell right in line with XPS 13 on this test. But as we’ll see next, that doesn’t mean the two systems perform the same on all tasks.

With eight cores and a higher power envelope to work with, the XPS 14 easily led here, converting our 4K test file to 1080p in under seven minutes. This points out the benefits of a higher-powered system for doing compute-intensive tasks like video editing. The XPS 13, particularly the 8GB model, was a bit behind the MacBook Neo, while the Chuwi laptop lagged more than a minute behind everything else.

Both versions of the Dell XPS 13 looked good in our 25GB file transfer test, but the 16GB model was significantly faster. Dell, like most laptop makers, doesn’t guarantee drive models in specific laptops. But in our two units, the 16GB model had an SK hynix PVC10 SSD, while the 8GB model sported a Kioxia BG7 (both drives are 512GB).

The SK hynix drive was about 350 MB/s faster here, but the MacBook Neo was about half as fast as even the slower XPS 13, and the Chuwi UniBook was half as fast again, not a whole lot faster than a spinning-platter hard drive.

If you’re wondering about gaming on the XPS 13, you probably shouldn’t, unless you’re a fan of retro titles and 2D side-scrollers. The CPU’s integrated graphics make do with just two Intel Xe cores.

In 3DMark’s Steel Nomad, neither the 8GB XPS 13 nor the Chuwi UniBook (which also has 8GB of RAM) would run the test. The MacBook Neo (369) easily edged past the 16GB XPS 13 (369). But the Panther Lake-powered Dell XPS 14 (with twice as many Xe cores) more than doubled the results of its smaller sibling.

To stress test the CPU in laptops, we run 10 loops of Cinebench 2026. The 16GB version of the system started with a score of 1,443, dipped to 1,374, but then ramped up (presumably as the cooking kicked in) to 1701, and then finished the rest of its runs steadily in the high 1600s. During the test, the laptop’s Core 5 320 CPU’s six cores averaged a clock speed of 3.13 GHz.

Interestingly, the 8GB model of the XPS 13 (which again has the same CPU) scored slightly lower than the 16GB version on all but the second run. And that’s likely down solely to the memory limitation. As the benchmark’s developer Maxson explains, running Cinebench 2026 on a system with less than 8.5 GB of RAM “will utilize virtual memory, which triggers a significant amount of paging, lowering the achievable performance.”

There’s little doubt that demanding real-world applications will cause similar performance dips. So even if you think you’re good about closing tabs or don’t otherwise do a lot of multitasking, you may get better performance out of the 16GB model. And if you regularly do demanding tasks like editing video or any kind of rendering, you should opt for something more powerful. Wildcat Lake laptops and the MacBook Neo are designed for lightweight tasks like Web browsing and basic document creation.

8GB vs 16GB

Outside of benchmarks, the biggest question between the 8GB and 16GB configurations is: What is it actually like to use Windows 11 on these systems?

The short answer, unsurprisingly, is that 16GB is better. With 15 identical tabs open in Chrome, the 16GB system just ran smoother. You might have to look closely at the Windows animations to notice, but they were far more fluid with more memory. And more importantly, switching back and forth between tabs was faster on the 16GB version, with the 8GB systems’ browser often blinking white before showing a page again.

Chrome (as well as multiple other browsers) does offer a feature to put tabs to sleep while you're not using them. If you're a multitasker in the browser, you'll absolutely want to make sure this is turned on.

For even the most basic tasks, it would behoove Microsoft to make Windows as efficient as possible, because it shouldn't take just a few tabs to start making the experience worse.

Displays on the Dell XPS 13 (2026)

Dell doesn’t specify the panel type it uses for the XPS 13, but the 2560 x 1600 touch display generally looks good. And its 30-120 Hz refresh is a nice touch that should help battery life in some scenarios. We did, though, notice an issue with our 16GB review unit. When playing back video, the screen often flickered during bright scenes – but only when running on battery. It went away once the laptop was plugged in, which led me to dig into the display settings, where I noticed the dynamic refresh rate was set to be turned off when on battery. Enabling variable refresh made the flickering go away. Dell told us dynamic research should be told on by default.

There is a separate display wrinkle, though. When placing the 8GB and 16GB models side-by-side, there were some clear differences between the two panels. The 8GB’s screen had deeper blacks, but noticeable backlight glow along the edges of the black bars while watching movie trailers. The 16GB model, however, had worse viewing angles. So both screens had their own upsides and drawbacks. Interestingly, as we’ll see below, the two panels' measurements are quite similar, but one is made by Sharp, while the other is from LG.

Like the SSDs, Dell told us that it is multi-sourcing panels. "You’ve seen some variances with individual panels, but each panel should meet the specs set out for XPS 13," a Dell representative told Tom's Hardware.

In our testing, the XPS 13’s screen delivered over 100% of the sRGB gamut, and roughly 75% of the larger DCI-P3 space.

The MacBook Neo’s screen was similarly colorful, but at a measured 452.6 nits, it’s a little brighter than the XPS 13’s panel, which topped out just below 400 nits. But the XPS panels also include touch, which all MacBooks still lack (at least for now). Both the Dell and the Apple systems deliver great screens for machines in this price range. The Chuwi, while a cheaper laptop, also delivers a screen that’s much less colorful and dimmer than the competition.

Keyboard and touchpad on the Dell XPS 13 (2026)

I wouldn’t call the XPS 13’s chiclet-style keyboard one of its strong suits – key travel is fairly shallow, and the keys feel a little stiff. But the slight travel isn’t surprising in a laptop that’s half an inch thick, and I feel like I would get used to the slight stiffness fairly quickly. I didn’t notice any layout issues that confused my fingers, and I could see myself happily using this keyboard for hours a day without any real complaints.

The chiclet style differs from what Dell offers on the XPS 14 and XPS 16, which has the keys placed next to each other in a "lattice-free" design. While I wish there was a bit more travel on the XPS 13, I personally prefer the more traditional chiclet keys over what the company is doing with its larger XPS options.

The touchpad is fairly roomy for a laptop this small, at over five inches. And it’s a physical click pad rather than haptic, but it doesn’t feel cheap. It performed well during my testing time, and is otherwise unremarkable. I like that its top is set just slightly recessed below the deck so both my eyes and my fingers always know where it starts and ends, unlike the previous version of the XPS 13, where its haptic pad was built seamlessly into the wrist area.

That said, the XPS 13’s trackpad, as is traditionally the case, only clicks when you press on or near the bottom. The Neo’s trackpad is also mechanical, but lets you click wherever your fingers land. I don’t particularly find the Neo’s trackpad feature a substantial advantage, but if you’re used to a haptic touchpad, being able to click anywhere on the pad might feel more familiar.

Audio on the Dell XPS 13 (2026)

One thing I wasn’t expecting from the XPS 13 was great-sounding speakers. But for a system this slim and a price below $1,000, the quad-speaker setup here left my ears pleasantly surprised. I listened to Portion Control’s “Brain Scraper Death Dive (Rebuild),” and the 8W of peak output filled my home office with a surprising level of sound, without noticeable distortion, even at 100% volume. There’s even some noticeable bass – within reason, mind you. This is a half-inch thick, 2.2-pound laptop. But considering the XPS 13’s svelte frame and its starting price, the speakers and tuning are excellent.

Upgradability of the Dell XPS 13 (2026)

There are only four tiny Torx screws to remove on the bottom of the XPS 13. But after doing that, getting into the laptop was still quite difficult. Dell recommends prying with your thumbs from the rear center. That didn’t work for me no matter how hard I pushed. Eventually, with the help of a plastic pick-style pry tool, I was able to release a few clips near the slim side vents, then work my way around the edges. The clips where Dell recommends starting from near the rear center were the last to release, and some of the most tenacious I have dealt with in several years.

Once finally inside, there isn’t much to do except stare into the abyss of the stealth-black interior. Swapping the short 2230 M.2 SSD in the upper-right corner should be pretty easy. And replacing the battery down the road doesn’t look too difficult. But that’s all you’re likely to change in here.

Perhaps most interesting for such a small laptop, Dell has equipped the XPS 13 with a pair of fans. Fan noise was audible as a whir, but I really only noticed it during our lengthy Cinebench 2026 stress test. And honestly, if you’re running tasks that tax the CPU for several minutes at a time like this, you should probably opt for something more powerful anyway.

Battery life on the Dell XPS 13 (2026)

The XPS 13 did well compared to similar options in our battery test, which consists of web browsing, running OpenGL tests, and streaming videos with the screen at 150 nits while connected to Wi-Fi. Both the 8GB and 16GB models of the XPS 13 easily topped 14 hours, which is roughly an hour to 90 mins more than the MacBook Neo and slightly better than the Chuwi.

Of particular interest is the half-hour shorter time on the 8GB model. Some of that difference could easily be down to testing variance. But the 8GB version we tested has a Kioxia BG7 SSD, while the 16GB version has an SK Hynix PVC10. Both are DRAMless drives, but the Hynix drive may be more power-efficient during our battery benchmark.

At well over 20 hours, though, it’s the XPS 14 that walks away with the competition here, helped by the fact that its screen is a lower resolution (1,920 x 1,200) than most of the competition here. Still, an extra five-plus hours of unplugged productivity is another reason why you might want to pay more for the slightly larger-screened Dell.

A laptop charger worth calling out

We don’t typically write much about chargers in laptop reviews, but the one that Dell includes with the XPS 13 is exactly the type that I’ve been asking laptop makers to shift to for years now. It’s a tiny charger with folding prongs that’s more typical of the type you might use with a smartphone, and it has a removable cable.

Given that some of the best chargers we’ve tested can charge laptops and are much smaller than a typical laptop brick, it’s nice to finally see a company ship a compact charger with a laptop that is on par in terms of portability with something you can buy yourself for about $25 or less. It would be even nicer if Dell had included a second USB-C port on the power brick so you could charge both your laptop and smartphone at the same time, but I guess I shouldn’t expect miracles. Still, I applaud Dell for including a compact charger with the XPS 13 and hope to see similar chargers from competing PC makers soon.

Heat on the Dell XPS 13 (2026)

During our 10-loop Cinebench 2026 stress test, the XPS 13’s keyboard got warm up near the top row, where we measured the temperature at 104 degrees Fahrenheit, but that was above 4 key, not where fingers typically rest. The touchpad (87 F) and keyboard deck (88.5 F) remained cooler, though. The bottom of the laptop topped out at 108.5 F, toward the back where the CPU lives. Internally, the Core 5 320’s cores averaged a toasty 87.49 degrees Celsius, with the pair of P cores occasionally spiking to 100 C (TJMax), indicating there is some thermal throttling.

The high temps here perhaps explain in part why Dell opted to use two fans in the XPS 13. And while there is some light fan noise when the laptop is under heavy CPU stress, the sound isn’t sharp or otherwise annoying – at least to my middle-aged ears.

Webcam on the Dell XPS 13 (2026)

The webcam on the XPS 13 is “only” 1080p, but it delivered enough detail, generally accurate colors, and handled bright light from windows and overhead fixtures pretty well. And unlike some of the XPS models from yesteryear, it also sits in the top center of the bezel, where it belongs.

There is some graininess when viewing things at full screen, but it’s far from the worst I’ve seen. This camera is perfectly capable of handling typical online meetings or classes without making most people want to plug in one of the best webcams instead.

Software on the Dell XPS 13 (2026)

Considering its fairly affordable price, I was pleasantly surprised at how clean and pristine the Windows 11 Home OS is on the XPS 13. You get some of the typical Windows cruft, like a shortcut to WhatsApp and LinkedIn. And there are a few Dell apps, like Optimizer (which mostly links to Windows settings and other apps) and the self-explanatory SupportAssistant. But there really isn’t anything else here, other than a bookmark in the default Edge browser to go to McAfee's website. It’s refreshing to use a new laptop with a Windows install that reminds me of custom-built PCs.

Dell XPS 13 (2026) Configurations

Dell offers the XPS 13 in two pretty similar configurations. For $699, you get an Intel Series 3 Core 5 320 CPU with a 512GB SSD and 8GB of RAM. For $200 more ($899), you get the same laptop with 16GB of RAM. Somewhat annoyingly, the 16GB model is only offered in the silver “sky” colorway, while the 8GB model is available in both “sky” and a darker gray “storm.”

Keeping the SKUs simple is doubtlessly one way that Dell is keeping costs down. And obviously the cost and availability of RAM and storage is tough this year. But it still would be nice to see at least a 1TB option for those who need more room for local files.

Bottom Line

While it’s no performance powerhouse, and $200 extra for a doubling of the RAM to a more comfortable 16GB still feels like a lot even in these times of endless AI demand, Dell’s redesigned XPS 13 is an excellent budget or mid-range machine (depending on which model you choose). It’s light and slim enough that you’ll likely hardly notice it in a backpack, and with over 14 hours of battery life in our testing, it lasts longer than the MacBook Neo.

Is it better than the MacBook Neo? In some ways, like the aforementioned battery life, keyboard backlighting, and weight, it is for sure. And for those worried about the limitations of 8GB, you can at least pay extra (again, that’s $200 extra) for 16GB with the XPS system. Really, though, the two devices are close enough in terms of performance, build quality, and portability that, if you are considering one or the other, you should probably choose the one with the operating system you prefer.

The fact that Windows has a competitive machine to the disruptive MacBook Neo is a triumph for Dell, for Microsoft’s ecosystem, and for those of us (like me) who would just prefer not to get sucked into the Apple hardware orbit – not that Windows 11 doesn’t have a big basket full of flaws. Given how expensive everything else is these days (including most flagship premium laptops), it’s nice that Dell and Apple are delivering devices that look and feel good, without costing $1,000 or more. I wonder what the other PC makers will offer up to compete in this new $699-$899 premium laptop space.

Qualcomm has updated its benchmark slides for the new Snapdragon C chip targeting laptops as inexpensive as $300. Nearly a week after the company originally revealed the Snapdragon C's specs and performance, it reached out asking Tom's Hardware (and presumably other publications) to replace a slide with Qualcomm's power efficiency benchmarks with an updated slide, which now includes two fewer results.

You can see the old slide and updated slide in the gallery above. The results are the same between them. However, the updated slide removes the idle apps and web browsing results. A Qualcomm representative says the change was made to "improve clarity and relevance," though the removal of the tests so long after the original announcement raises more questions than it answers. We've asked Qualcomm if there's any additional reason why it removed these results.

The company asked Tom's Hardware to replace our usage of the original slide with the updated version, though a retraction of published benchmarks carries a bit more weight than a simple update. It's unclear, at this point, why Qualcomm is making the change outside of the statement provided about improving clarity. The reason why really doesn't matter, however. Qualcomm made claims about the efficiency of Snapdragon C nearly a week ago, and now those claims have changed.

One thing you'll notice is that the two results that were removed use "ABL" in front of the test. We're not sure what this acronym is in reference to. Presumably, it's not the Advanced Business Language, a scripting language tailored for enterprise database applications. It could mean "all-day battery life" or something similar, which would make sense. We've asked Qualcomm what ABL is in reference to in its slides.

The benchmarks compare Intel's N250, a quad-core chip built on Intel 7 that operates at up to 3.8 GHz, against the Snapdragon C. Qualcomm's latest chip comes with eight Kryo CPU cores, which can boost up to 3 GHz on a single core, and up to 2 GHz across all cores. Even without the removed results, there are a few important notes about Qualcomm's testing.

First, Qualcomm didn't test on AC power, but rather compared the Snapdragon C to the Intel N250 on battery power. We expect to see how performance out of the Intel N250 with AC power compares to battery power (Snapdragon chips generally have a narrow window of performance across both AC and battery power). More relevant for the efficiency claims are the comparison platforms, however.

Qualcomm used a reference 16-inch device with Snapdragon C and compared it to an 11.6-inch Acer TravelMate with the Intel N250. The company says the N250 machine had "total power configured to match 16" screen." That presumably means Qualcomm is looking at total system power, though it's hard to say for sure. The benchmarks provided don't include concrete numbers or units, but vague comparisons to the N250.

We’re so used to testing cutting-edge, top-end laptops with high price tags that a decently equipped portable that isn’t priced around $2,000 can feel refreshing. And with price increases happening seemingly everywhere, the average laptop buyer probably feels the same.

Enter Acer’s Swift Go 16 AI, a 16-inch portable with an IPS touchscreen, a premium-ish metal shell, AMD Ryzen AI 7 445 processor, and 16GB of RAM paired with 1TB of storage, plus a 7-inch (diagonal) touchpad. It won’t break any performance ground, but it was a solid deal when it was on sale for $799. At its current MSRP price of $1,149, it’s a lot harder to argue for – especially when the silver-shelled Intel-based model (which halves the storage to 512GB but ups the screen tech to OLED) was on sale for just $699 at Best Buy when I wrote this.

Design of the Acer Swift Go 16 AI (Gorgon Point)

The design of Acer’s Swift Go 16 AI packs more positives than negatives, but it is still a mixed bag. Perhaps due to its size, it feels lighter than its 3.53-pound weight, and its aluminum shell (black with zig-zagging slim lines on the lid) puts it head and shoulders above budget offerings. It’s also fairly svelte for a big-screen laptop, at 14 x 9.9 x 0.63 inches.

Port selection is also good, with a pair of USB-C ports, a USB-A port, and HDMI on the left edge.

The right edge houses a Kensington lock slot, another USB-A port, a headset jack, and a microSD card slot.

Also here is the charging indicator light, which is an odd choice since the charging ports are on the other side of the laptop. After plugging the laptop into the charger on my test bench, I had to lean across the laptop just to see if it was charging.

The hinge also lets the screen recline all the way down to 180 degrees, although doing this makes viewing angle issues pretty apparent, as you lose most of the visible brightness.

The metal shell also has more than a little flex, both on the lid and the keyboard, though I noticed it more on the lid every time I closed the laptop. The lid also developed smudges that I couldn’t wipe away, even with a damp cloth and some elbow grease, during my time with it – and for a good chunk of that time it was just sitting untouched on my coffee table. Note, though, that the smudges are a lot less visible when the laptop isn’t sitting under photography lights.

Acer Swift Go 16 AI (the SFG16-A71T-R5UY) Specifications

A warning about magnetic watch bands

Before jumping into the test results, a quick note about a unique (at least to me) issue I had when using the laptop: About half the time when I moved my hands toward the keyboard to type or launch a program, the screen would briefly dim, and then I would be kicked out to the Windows 11 login screen. This eventually happened so frequently that I thought the laptop had some sort of electrical defect, and asked Acer about the problem.

However, as I was demonstrating the issue to a colleague in the office, he wondered aloud whether my watch band might be causing it. I hadn’t thought of that, as I’ve been testing laptops for well over a decade, much of that time while wearing a watch, and have never experienced this issue before. I’ve also had the current band for my Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 for about 14 months, during which time I’ve used countless laptops to a greater or lesser degree. But the band does have a magnetic clasp on the bottom, and sure enough, as soon as I took the band off, or even put it on my left wrist instead of my right, the issue where the screen went black and kicked me out to the login screen went away.

I tried replicating the issue with my watch band and several other laptops, but could not. So the Acer Swift Go 16 AI’s lid sensor does seem particularly sensitive to magnets (I was also able to replicate the issue on the Acer using other magnets and the magnetic band from someone else’s Apple Watch). But it’s a quirk that will mostly plague left-handed people who have magnetic watch clasps – or the odd people like me who wear their watch also on their right wrist.

Productivity Performance on the Acer Swift Go 16 AI

We tested Acer’s Swift Go 16 AI in its sole AMD-based Best Buy configuration, sporting a Ryzen AI 7 445 (Gorgon Point) CPU and integrated Radeon 840M graphics, as well as 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and a 1TB SSD.

The Ryzen AI 7 445 is a mid-range chip in AMD’s refreshed lineup, with six cores, 12 threads, and an NPU capable of 50 TOPS for all your Copilot+ and other local AI needs.

Most of the systems we’ve looked at this year are pricier than the Acer, which could make the laptop look bad in our charts. But our comparison systems also cost more. There’s Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Air ($1,299) using a 10-core M5, followed by two 14-inch laptops: Dell’s XPS 14 ($2,199) leverages a Core Ultra X7 358H while Lenovo’s Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition ($1,629) uses a Core Ultra 7 355.

On Geekbench 6, the Swift 16 AI was able to hang with Dell’s XPS 14, falling a bit behind in single-core, but landing ahead on the multi-core portion of the test. But the Arm-based laptops from Apple and Lenovo both easily outpaced the x86 competition.

Things looked worse for the Acer laptop in our 25GB file transfer test. Despite the company calling the laptop’s storage out as being PCIe 4, the tested speed of 847.88 MBps is less than half that of the drives in the competing laptops. Still, the Acer drive is fast enough that you won’t likely notice the difference in most common tasks.

On Handbrake, the Acer managed to best the XPS 14 once again (thanks largely to its extra threads). But again, the Arm-based competition, and particularly Lenovo’s Qualcomm-based Yoga Slim 7x, destroys the Acer, converting our 4K video to 1080p in roughly a third of the time it took the Swift Go 16 AI.

The Swift Go 16 AI’s average transfer speed in our 25GB file transfer test was a slow (ish) 847.88 MBps. That’s less than half the speed of any of its laptop competition here, but these are also all pricier laptops. Faster would certainly be better, but the drive in the Acer is plenty fast enough for typical mainstream tasks.

To stress test the CPU in laptops, we run 10 loops of Cinebench 2026. The system started with a score of 2,315, ramped as high as 2487 by the fourth run, and held fairly steady, dropping back to 2468 on the penultimate run, before recovering and finishing at 2,480. During the test, the laptop’s Ryzen AI 7 445 CPU ran at an average frequency of 3.47 GHz.

Graphics on the Acer Swift Go 16 AI

The laptop’s 840M graphics are integrated. But thanks to being paired with an X86 CPU, they can certainly run more games than the Arm-based Apple and Lenovo laptop competition. But on paper, the competition has a clear edge.

In 3DMark Steel Nomad, the Acer Swift Go 16 AI turned in a score of 234, which is slightly less than half that of the Dell XPS 14 (with its four Xe3 cores) more than doubled that, while both the MacBook Air and Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x quadrupled the Swift Go’s showing. Again, though, keep in mind that the Acer, while not as powerful on the graphics front, will run more PC games than either the MacBook or Qualcomm-powered Lenovo.

Display on the Acer Swift Go 16 AI

Acer sells the Swift Go 16 AI with a single panel in the AMD-based configuration, a 1,920 x 1,200-resolution IPS panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate. The Intel-based version ups the ante with an OLED display, which sounds like an upgrade, but Best Buy lists that screen at just 250 nits. The IPS screen on our AMD model at least gets brighter than that.

When I watched the story trailer for Marvel’s Wolverine for the PS5, the dress Jean Gray wore in one scene was a vivid green, while the aura of her telekinesis popped in a hue somewhere between magenta and purple, while the often gore-speckled yellow of Logan’s suit looked a bit subdued. In general, colors looked good, and brightness was sufficient. But I did miss the inky blacks of the OLED screens on my Lenovo X9 laptop and my LG TV. That said, if this laptop panel was what I used for work every day, I don’t think I would have any serious complaints. It looks great unless you have something better to compare it to side-by-side.

Our display testing pegged the Acer’s screen at 336 nits, which edged out the Lenovo, but both the XPS 14 and Apple were significantly brighter. Still, the IPS Acer screen delivered more colors than the Dell or Apple laptops, with 121.8% of the sRGB gamut and 86.3% of the larger DCI-P3. In short, this is quite a good screen for a laptop that isn’t a flagship machine. It’s not the brightest of panels, and I did keep it mostly at 100% brightness while using it, it never once felt dimmer than I would have liked.

Keyboard and touchpad on the Acer Swift Go 16 AI

I found typing on the Acer Swift Go 16 AI to be largely fine, with no major complaints. The flat keys don’t offer the best feel or the most generous key travel. And the left and right arrow keys look comically large compared to their up / down counterparts.

The real oddity here is the inclusion of a squished number pad. There clearly isn’t room for anything larger, and I am sure those who find a number pad a necessity would rather have narrow numbers on the right side rather than no numbers. But the layout here makes the keyboard look and – to some extent – feel cramped. Considering this is a pretty large, 16-inch laptop, that’s a somewhat impressive design achievement.

The large, 7-inch touchpad is one of the Swift Go 16 AI’s stand-out features, and while nothing particularly ground-breaking, there are more features to cover than are typical in a laptop.

The touchpad isn’t haptic, but it is covered in Corning Gorilla Glass, and feels fairly premium. It worked well for basic and multi-finger gesture tasks during my time with it. And for tasks like media control and meetings, there are backlit touch buttons that appear when you, say, go to YouTube or launch Teams, letting you control media, volume, and switch to full-screen playback.

We’ve seen similar ideas from Acer and others. I’m not generally a fan of the general idea, but the touch features worked well enough to serve as controls while I watched YouTube. And Acer makes the buttons appear and disappear when you open compatible apps and websites, so it’s not something you have to think about much. You can also turn it off by hitting the X on the bottom-right corner of the touchpad when the lighting appears.

Audio on the Acer Swift Go 16 AI

The pair of downward-firing speakers on the Swift Go 16 AI are fine for meetings and casually watching video or listening to music at a desk, but don’t expect much in the way of bass or impressive volume. When I listened to my favorite test track, Buck-Tick’s “Muma - The Nightmare,” cranking the volume to 100% filled my home office space, but the sound was a little harsh at that volume. Dropping down to 80% or below resulted in better sound, but of course less volume.

If you’re the type that likes to fiddle with audio details, the DTS:X Ultra software is included. It lets you adjust the EQ and select from seven presets, but the Music setting was already enabled by default, so at least for listening, the Swift Go 16 AI’s speakers sound about as good as they can out of the box.

In short, the speakers are OK for basic audio tasks, and are easily loud enough for watching video clips. But if you want to enjoy your audio, especially at higher volumes, consider pairing a decent Bluetooth speaker.

Upgradability of the Acer Swift Go 16 AI

Getting inside Swift Go 16 AI isn’t difficult, provided you have a Torx screwdriver set. Remove ten screws (the ones on the front edge are shorter, so be sure to keep them separate), and you should be able to pry off the bottom. I found a small plastic spudger helpful for getting started, but once I worked a few clips free, the metal bottom lifted right off.

There’s little to do while you’re in there, though. You could swap the standard 2280 M.2 boot drive, or replace the MediaTek wireless card. But as is standard for anything that isn’t a gaming laptop / workstation or a Framework these days, the RAM is soldered down.

Battery life on the Acer Swift Go 16 AI

Unplugged longevity isn’t exactly a strong suit of this Acer, but it still manages a respectable 9.5 hours in our battery test, which consists of web browsing, running OpenGL tests, and streaming videos with the screen at 150 nits while connected to Wi-Fi. That was enough to beat the more powerful Lenovo by 46 minutes, but the Dell and Apple laptops did significantly better. Keep in mind, though, that the Acer has a larger, 16-inch screen than the competition here, which are 13- and 14-inchers, and there’s not much to complain about. Battery life is solid, just like many aspects of the Swift Go 16 AI.

Heat on the Acer Swift Go 16 AI

During our 10-loop Cinebench 2026 stress test, the Swift Go 16 AI’s surface temperatures remained relatively tepid for a slim laptop. We measured a peak of 87 degrees Fahrenheit on the touchpad, 100.5 between the G and H keys, and 114 F on the underside, near the back center. Internally, the Ryzen AI 7 445’s average temperature was 66.9 C across all cores.

Webcam on the Acer Swift Go 16 AI

The webcam on the Swift Go AI is a step above mainstream options, at least on paper. It has an IR sensor for Windows Hello login, and Acer says the sensor supports IR and is capable of recording video up to 1800p at 30 FPS. The Camera app limited me to 2560 x 1600, which is still good for a mainstream laptop. Colors were generally accurate, and I did notice more detail in my beard than most 1080p models. But the camera still struggles with blown-out light from nearby windows.

Acer claims there is Temporal Noise Reduction at play here to keep pixels from looking grainy. Generally, I didn’t see any graininess, but the process also results in images and video that look soft when viewed at full size. In all, webcam performance feels like more than an afterthought, but isn’t the best I’ve seen. At this price, that’s perfectly fine.

Software on the Acer Swift Go 16 AI

There is a significant amount of adware and software bloat pre-baked into this Acer’s operating system. On the taskbar alone, you’ll find pins for Forge of Empires, Dropbox, and Booking.com. The start menu includes a couple more games: Elvenar and Amazing Block Blast, as well as WhatsApp, LinkedIn, and AcerSense. I also found ExpressVPN in the installed apps folder.

Oddly, AcerSense, the company’s own app for checking the status and health of the laptop’s various components, and changing power modes, wasn’t actually installed. When I clicked on it, a launcher started downloading. I would just delete it, like most of the cruft here. If you’re an absolute novice at recent versions of Windows, it might be a little helpful, but most of what it does and shows you is also available within Windows itself.

While I wouldn’t quite call this a serious excess of unnecessary and unhelpful software (in other words, I have seen worse), there is quite a lot here. When the laptop is on sale for hundreds off its MSRP, it feels like a necessary evil in these days of higher prices. But if you’re paying close to the $1,149 MSRP, you shouldn’t have to deal with this much bloat.

Acer Swift Go 16 AI Configurations

Acer sells AMD and Intel versions of the Swift Go 16 AI at Best Buy. Our black AMD-based model ships with a Ryzen AI 7 445 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. Its price ranged significantly from $799 to the $1,149 MSRP while I worked on this review. A higher-end AMD model ups the RAM to 32GB, the CPU to a Ryzen 9 465, for $1,499.

On the Intel side, there’s an Intel Core Ultra 5 version that halves the storage (512GB) but opts for an OLED screen with the same 1,920 x 1,200 resolution. That was selling for an enticing $699 ($300 off) as I wrote this. If you can get it at that price, this model is the clear bargain of the bunch. But a beefier Intel option with a Core Ultra 7 355 and 32GB of RAM at $1,169 ($1,549 MSRP) also isn’t bad if you need more power and memory.

Bottom Line

If you’re after a larger-screen laptop that doesn’t feel like a budget machine, there’s a lot to like with the Swift Go 16 AI – especially when it’s on sale. The AMD-based model we tested delivered solid performance and a good IPS screen. The SSD is slower than its pricier competition, but it wasn’t so slow that you’re likely to notice during typical tasks.

There is also more bloatware than is typical in laptops around the $1,000 price point, but it’s easy enough to uninstall. Just keep an eye on the pricing, which swung significantly between $799, $999, and $1,049 in the weeks when I was working on this review. And don’t discount the silver Intel Core Ultra 5 322-based model, which drops the storage down to 512GB, but includes an OLED screen. That model dipped as low as $699 in recent weeks, but has now jumped back up to $999. Either model is worth considering, and both are great values when priced below $800.

If you’re looking for the absolute best performance in a gaming laptop, then you’ll likely want to consider a desktop replacement. If you’re in the market, the HyperX Omen Max 16 makes a strong case with a 16-inch form factor and a thick chassis that accommodates some beefy hardware.

Our review unit carries a sticker price of $4,699, packs a Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor, and includes an RTX 5090 GPU. It also tips the scales at 6.56 pounds, making it a more suitable companion for your desk than for lugging around while traveling.

Despite its imposing dimensions and beefy hardware, the Omen Max 16 doesn’t quite pass muster in performance against its slimmer competitors among the best gaming laptops.

Design of the HyperX Omen Max 16

“Solid, solid as a rock,” is the phrase that comes to mind when describing the Omen Max 16. The laptop feels like it was forged from a solid piece of granite, but in actuality, it’s aluminum. It’s also thick, measuring 1.13 inches at its thickest point (at the rear).

To my eyes, the Omen Max 16 is attractively designed with no outrageous styling gimmicks. The aluminum is coated in a matte black finish, and design flourishes (like the O16 printed vertically along the deck and the HyperX logo on the lid) are subdued and don't draw significant attention. There’s also a laser-etched grille that runs nearly the width of the chassis that sits above the keyboard.

The only thing that really clues you into the gaming nature of the laptop (other than its sheer size) is the per-key RGB lighting for the keyboard, and a single LED strip on the bottom front edge of the chassis that you can configure with the Omen software.

When it comes to external ports, the Omen Max 16 has a USB-A (10 Gbps) port, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, and a 3.5 mm audio jack on the left. On the right side of the chassis, you'll find another USB-A port. The back panel of the laptop is home to an HDMI 2.1 port, a 2.5 GbE port, and a proprietary power port (a 460W GaN power adapter is included).

The Omen Max 16 measures 14.04 x 10.59 x 1.03 inches and weighs 6.56 pounds. For comparison's sake, the Razer Blade 16 is 13.98 x 9.86 x 0.69 inches and weighs 4.71 pounds. The MSI Raider 16 HX comes in at 14.29 x 10.62 x 1.14 inches and weighs 5.73 pounds. The Alienware 16 Area-51 weighs 7.49 pounds and measures 14.37 x 11.41 x 1.12 inches.

HyperX Omen Max 16 Specifications

Gaming and Graphics on the HyperX Omen Max 16

The Omen Max 16 is equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor, 32GB of RAM, and an RTX 5090 GPU (175W TGP). Given these specs and a sizable chassis to aid cooling (300W total system power), I was expecting strong numbers from the Omen 16 Max. Instead, the laptop was relegated to the back of the pack, except for one game benchmark: Far Cry 6.

My game of choice these days is Battlefield 6, running at native resolution in Overkill detail mode, with DLSS Quality and frame generation enabled. Using these settings, I was able to average between 100 and 110 frames per second.

For the competitive set, we have the Blade 16 (Core Ultra 9 386H at 25W, RTX 5090 at 175W TGP), MSI Raider 16 Max HX (Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus at 55W, RTX 5090 at 175W TGP), and the Alienware 16 Area-51 (Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus at 55W, RTX 5080 at 175W TGP). It should be noted that the Omen Max 16 uses slower DDR5-6400, whereas systems like the Blade 16 use faster LPDDR5X-9600.

We started our benchmarking spree with Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Highest setting), and here the Omen Max 16 achieved 171 FPS at 1080p, putting it in last place behind the Razer Blade 16 (182 FPS). At 1600p, it landed in a comfortable third place (114 FPS) behind the Alienware 16 Area-51.

Cyberpunk 2077 (Ray Tracing Ultra settings) wasn't a strong showing for the Omen Max 16, either. It brought up last place at 1080p (59 FPS) and 1600p (37 FPS).

Far Cry 6 (Ultra settings) was the lone bright spot for the Omen Max 16, as it garnered 144 FPS at 1080p and 125 FPS at 1600p, easily putting it in first place. Both of these results far outpaced the rest of the field, with the next closest competitor being the MSI Raider 16 Max HX at 119 FPS and 114 FPS, respectively.

Moving to the Red Dead Redemption 2 (Medium settings) benchmark, the Omen Max 16 again wound up in last place, hitting 93 FPS at 1080p and 65 FPS at 1600p. However, in this instance, the margin between the Omen Max 16 and The Blade 16 at 1080p was just 1 FPS.

The Omen Max 16 again had trouble during the Borderlands 3 (Badass settings) benchmark, falling well off the pace set by its three competitors. The laptop hit 146 FPS at 1080p, nearly 20 FPS off the pace of the third-place Alienware 16 Area-51. At 1600p, it mustered just 113 FPS.

Metro Exodus is our go-to benchmark for laptop stress testing. Our review unit averaged 141.62 FPS at 1080p across 15 loops using the RTX benchmark preset. The CPU performance cores averaged 4.91 GHz, and the efficiency cores averaged 3.95 GHz. The RTX 5090 GPU ran at 1.81 GHz.

Productivity Performance on HyperX Omen Max 16

With its Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor, 32GB of RAM, and 2TB PCIe 5.0 SSD, the Omen Max 16 fared better in the productivity tests than it did with gaming.

On Geekbench 6, the Omen Max 16 with the Core Ultra 9 290HX was able to muscle past the Blade 16 with its Core Ultra 9 386H on both the single-core (3,182) and multi-core (17,989) benchmarks. However, the Alienware 16 Area-51 and Raider 16 Max HX, which use the same Core Ultra 9 290HX processor, achieved much higher multi-core numbers (each surpassed 20,000).

The PCIe 5.0 SSD used in the Omen Max 16 performed quite well in our 25GB file transfer test, coming in second place at 2,439.22 MBps. The Alienware 16 Area-51 was a few ticks ahead at 2,738.90 MBps.

The soft performance of the Omen Max 16 continued with our Handbrake test, which involves transcoding a 4K video file to 1080p. Here the laptop performed the task in 2 minutes and 59 seconds. However, at least one other laptop with the same Core Ultra 9 290HX did the deed in less than two minutes.

Display on the HyperX Omen Max 16

The Omen Max 16 uses a 16-inch 2560 x 1600 OLED panel with a 240 Hz refresh rate. As is the case with most OLED displays that we test, this one had a glossy finish.

Instrumented testing on the OLED panel showed it excelling against the competition, covering 131.2 percent of the DCI-P3 color space and 185.2 percent of sRGB. Even better, the Omen Max 16 nudged past the Raider 16 Max HX to also take the crown for panel brightness (464.6 nits versus 455.6 nits).

OLED panels rarely disappoint, and I was more than impressed with the overall quality and brightness. The brightness was high enough that I was able to game while on my back porch during a partly cloudy day with minimal interference from reflections on the glossy panel.

I also viewed the first Avengers: Doomsday trailer using the display, and besides getting a tiny bit emotional while watching it, was delighted with the color reproduction, particularly in the short battle between Gambit and Shang-Chi, with flashes of purple playing cards and orange rings.

Keyboard and Touchpad on the HyperX Omen Max 16

The Omen Max 16 features a full-size RGB backlit keyboard (with per-key lighting) and NKRO anti-ghosting technology. RGB effects are customizable using HP's Omen app or directly from within Windows 11.

The keys felt quite springy when typing, and I found it incredibly comfortable to rest my fingers and click away. And while some keyboards audibly make their presence known as you type at a furious pace, the key actuation on the Omen Max 16 was whisper-quiet.

Turning my attention to the Keyhero.com typing test, I plugged away at 95 words per minute with 97% accuracy, which is definitely on the high side for me (I’m usually in the mid-80s realm).

Given the Omen Max 16 price tag of over $4,500, I was disappointed that HP didn’t go with a haptic touchpad. Instead, we get a top-hinged trackpad that is just OK. It gets the job done, but for this much money, I’d prefer to be able to click anywhere on the touchpad surface without hitting a dead zone. At least while gaming, you probably use a mouse or controller.

Audio on the HyperX Omen Max 16

Audio quality is another area where I think HP missed the mark. To beat a dead horse, but this is a laptop that retails for $4,699, and it only comes with stereo speakers. Would it have killed HP to add another pair of speakers in this tank of a chassis?

While the speakers had good overall volume levels, I felt the sound lacked some depth compared to similarly priced laptops with four (Raider 16 Max HX) or even six speakers (Blade 16). While I was more than happy listening to Keane’s “Fly to Me” from the album Hopes and Fears, I was disappointed in the sound while playing Battlefield 6.

When it came to gunfire, vehicle sounds, and background explosions while gaming, I wasn't impressed. I prefer throwing on a pair of the best gaming headsets, but there’s still no excuse to drop the ball at this price point.

Upgradeability of the HyperX Omen Max 16

Six screws need to be extracted to remove the bottom aluminum panel. While that was easy enough, it’s only half the battle. All of the serviceable components (save for the readily accessible battery) are underneath an extensive metal shield. That shield is held in place by roughly a dozen screws, making upgrades a bit tedious.

Once the shield is removed, you’ll find access to the M.2 slot for the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module, two SO-DIMM slots (both of which were filled on our review unit), and an additional M.2 slot for a second SSD. Yet another metal shield covers the first M.2 SSD slot, although I didn’t go through the process of removing another dozen screws to uncover it.

Battery Life on the HyperX Omen Max 16

Despite its considerable girth, the Omen Max 16 is equipped with just an 83 WHr battery. For comparison, the thinner and lighter Blade 16 manages to squeeze in a 90 WHr battery.

The Omen Max 16 lasted 5 hours and 7 minutes on our battery test, which consists of web browsing, video streaming over Wi-Fi, and OpenGL testing with the screen brightness set at 150 nits. This was over three hours shorter than the Raider 16 Max HX, while the Blade 16 lasted over twice as long on a charge (12:46).

Heat on the HyperX Omen Max 16

During the Metro Exodus stress test, we measured the Omen Max 16's keyboard at 106 degrees Fahrenheit (F) between the G and H keys, while the touchpad was 84.9 F.

The hottest part of the laptop was near the rear center of the bottom of the chassis, which measured 114 F.

While running the Metro Exodus stress test, the CPU measured 87 degrees Celsius (C). Meanwhile, the RTX 5090 was cooler at 75 C.

Webcam on the HyperX Omen Max 16

Another area where it feels like HP skimped is with the webcam. Rather than going with a higher resolution unit, the Omen Max 16 features a bog-standard 1080p unit that looks about as good as one you’d find in a $1,000 entry-level gaming laptop.

The camera didn’t do particularly well with a nearby window where light was shining through, and there were a lot of noise artifacts in less-than-ideal light conditions. In addition, the camera didn’t really pick up fine details well, which is disappointing considering the price.

Software and Warranty on the HyperX Omen Max 16

Like many HP laptops, the HyperX Omen Max 16 comes loaded with additional software bloat that you can mostly ignore or simply delete. Scrolling down the list of “H” apps in the Start Menu, HP basically set up camp with no less than eight apps/shortcuts—everything from HP Documentation to HP Privacy Settings to HP TV+. In addition, you’ll find the usual third-party add-ons like McAfee and promotional links for Dropbox, Adobe, and Booking.com.

The only really useful preinstalled app is the Omen Gaming Hub. It gives you control over power modes, lets you see CPU/GPU/RAM utilization, and provides plenty of configuration options for the onboard RGB lighting.

The Omen Max 16 comes with a one-year manufacturer warranty.

HyperX Omen Max 16 Configurations

Our Omen Max 16 came configured with an Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor, 32GB of DDR5-6400 memory, a 2TB PCIe 5.0 SSD, RTX 5090 GPU, and a 16-inch 1600p 240 Hz OLED display. The MSRP on our review unit was a staggering $4,699.99.

There are also several less expensive options, with the cheapest being a $2,699 SKU with a Core Ultra 7 270HX processor, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and an RTX 5080. For $3,099, you can swap the Core Ultra 7 270HX for an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 475 and double the SSD capacity to 2TB.

Bottom Line

The HyperX Omen Max 16 represents a swing and a miss. When I first saw the enormity of the chassis, I was looking forward to some impressive gaming performance given the 55W processor and 175W RTX 5090 onboard. Instead, what I was left with was a $4,699 gaming laptop that lingered in last place for most of the gaming benchmarks, and often by a large margin. Even the Razer Blade 16 with its 25W processor managed to get the upper hand in most benchmarks.

But the gaming wasn’t the only disappointment. Given the price tag, I would have expected a better-equipped machine. Where’s the haptic trackpad, and why do we only get two speakers? And on a minor annoyance angle, while I appreciate the two M.2 slots for storage and replaceable memory, why do I need to remove another dozen screws just to access those components?

In the end, the Omen Max 16 could have been so much more. Quite frankly, it would make sense to spend the extra $200 and grab a Razer Blade 16. Not only is it thinner and lighter (by two pounds), but it offers double the battery life.

The Lenovo LOQ Essentials 15 Gen 11 has the right idea to compete with the best budget gaming laptops: skip the flashy design extras and focus on the hardware that matters. Its RTX 5060 graphics, 144 Hz IPS display, solid keyboard, and generous internal upgrade options give budget-strapped gamers plenty to like on paper. The reality is that this configuration is compromised in the area that matters most: gaming performance. Its RTX 5060 is held back by a 65W power limit and the CPU is several generations old, allowing rival machines in the same price range to post stronger results. The LOQ is usable and practical, but at this price, it needs stronger performance to stand out.

Design of the Lenovo LOQ Essentials 15 Gen 11

Aptly named, the LOQ Essentials 15 embraces a no-frills design. Aside from LOQ branding on the lid, there’s little here meant to catch the eye, which is fitting for a laptop that’s intended to deliver performance at the lowest possible cost. Lenovo reserves premium materials and styling for its Legion gaming laptops.

Fortunately, the budget considerations are mostly aesthetic, as the LOQ’s plastic chassis feels solid and has the durability you’d expect for daily home or school use. Its 0.97-inch thick profile and 5.07-pound weight don’t make it a great traveling companion are in line with competing laptops like Acer's Nitro V 16S AI, Asus’ TUF Gaming F16, and MSI's Cyborg 15. The latter is the lightest in the group, at 4.36 pounds.

Lenovo’s port selection is practical: one USB-C port (10 Gbps), two USB-A ports (5 Gbps), an audio jack, Ethernet, and HDMI. You won't get truly high-speed ports like USB4/Thunderbolt 4 at this price. The Intel AX203 Wi-Fi 6 card is another example of this laptop's economical focus, though it shouldn't hold users back.

Lenovo LOQ Essentials 15 Gen 11 Specifications

Gaming and Graphics on the Lenovo LOQ Essentials 15 Gen 11

We evaluated the LOQ Essentials 15 Gen 11 with a Core i7-13650HX processor, RTX 5060 graphics (65W), and 16GB of single-channel DDR5-4800 RAM. The processor is several years old though still packs a punch, with six Performance cores.

Playing 007 First Light at 1080p with medium lighting settings, post effects on, and DLSS set to balanced, the LOQ produced playable frame rates, ranging from the mid-50s to low-70s FPS depending on the scene. The experience was never poor, but it lacked the fluidity I expected from a laptop carrying Nvidia's latest midrange GPU.

Our benchmark comparison lineup consists of Acer's Nitro V 16S AI (Ryzen 7 260, RTX 5060 85W, $1,299.99 when tested), Asus' TUF Gaming F16 (Core i7-14650HX, RTX 5050 115W, $1,199.99), and MSI's Cyborg 15 C13WE (Core i5-13420H, RTX 5050 70W, $1,219.99).

Overall, the LOQ’s results were disappointing. With a 65W power limit, its RTX 5060 simply doesn't deliver the level of performance buyers might expect from the badge. It was routinely outperformed by the TUF Gaming F16 using an RTX 5050, while Acer's higher-powered RTX 5060 laptop also finished comfortably ahead. The result is a gaming laptop that works well enough but struggles to justify its price when similarly priced alternatives make better use of comparable hardware.

In Shadow of the Tomb Raider at the Highest detail preset, the LOQ’s 88 FPS only outpaced the Cyborg (82 FPS), while the Asus (95 FPS) and Acer (98 FPS) both pulled ahead. This story repeated in Far Cry 6 – with 75 FPS, the LOQ trailed Acer (82 FPS) and Asus (90 FPS), though it was within a few FPS of those units in Red Dead Redemption 2. The LOQ’s only real victory was Cyberpunk 2077, where it achieved 38 FPS, with the Acer (32 FPS) trailing. The LOQ was one of two laptops tested with Forza Horizon 3, where it predictably had no trouble outgunning the Cyborg, 58 FPS to 51 FPS.

To stress-test gaming laptops, we run 15 loops of the Metro Exodus stress test at RTX settings to simulate half an hour of gaming. The LOQ demonstrated stable performance throughout the test, averaging 59.79 FPS without a variance of more than one FPS across runs. During the test, the Core i7-13650HX ran at an average frequency of 2.73 GHz while the RTX 5060 averaged 1,919 MHz.

Productivity Performance on the Lenovo LOQ Essentials 15 Gen 11

Our LOQ Essentials 15 Gen 11 is built around a Core i7-13650HX, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD.

Throughout our testing, the LOQ's outdated CPU struggled against the newer silicon in the competition, only consistently outpacing the Cyborg with its equally dated Core i5-13420H. In the multi-core portion of Geekbench, the LOQ's score of 11,300 was well behind the Ryzen 7 260-powered Acer (12,837) and couldn't touch the Core i7-14650HX-powered Asus (15,013). The Asus also dominated Handbrake, completing that test in 3 minutes and 33 seconds compared to the LOQ's 4:35.

The LOQ's average speed of 136 MBps in our 25GB file transfer is abnormal, but it also occurred on other drive benchmarks, though I never noticed any issues in loading games. The drive is a WD PC SN5000S using QLC.

Display on the Lenovo LOQ Essentials 15 Gen 11

Lenovo didn't cut too many corners with the LOQ's display. The 15.6-inch IPS panel pairs a smooth 144 Hz refresh rate with an anti-glare finish that minimizes reflections. While the 1920 x 1080 resolution isn't especially sharp by 2026 standards, it isn’t too hard for the RTX 5060 to drive in today’s games.

Watching X2: X-Men United and playing 007 First Light, the LOQ’s display stood out as one that’s better than typical budget laptop fare. Colors have enough punch to make game environments feel lively, and enough contrast to give darker scenes reasonable depth. Brightness is just adequate – the panel is best suited for indoor use and can't compete with the significantly brighter screen in Acer's Nitro V 16S AI. Still, for gaming, streaming, and everyday use, the LOQ's display is one of its better attributes.

Covering 86.1% of DCI-P3, the LOQ’s display proved more colorful than the Acer (77.4%) and effectively tied the others. Its 290-nit peak brightness was on par with the Asus (298 nits) and brighter than the MSI (233 nits) but not nearly as bright as the Acer (392 nits).

Keyboard and Touchpad on the Lenovo LOQ Essentials 15 Gen 11

Lenovo’s keyboard offers an ample 1.3 mm of travel for comfortable typing sessions. Its two-level white backlighting provides excellent visibility in low light. The number pad isn’t quite full-size but offers the expected layout. In MonkeyType, I reached 122 words per minute with 99% accuracy on the first try.

The touchpad is also well-designed, with a comfortably-sized surface and quiet physical clicks.

Audio on the Lenovo LOQ Essentials 15 Gen 11

The LOQ's twin 2W speakers produce acceptable sound for a laptop. Bass is lacking, but the sound is clear enough to pick out footsteps and shell cases dropping in games. Overall, the setup works for casual gaming.

The included Nahimic app is essential for sound quality – without it, the speakers are tinny and dull. The Music preset with bass and treble boost works well all around. The Smart preset also gets the job done; my ears didn't detect much of a difference versus the Music preset. The Movie preset's virtual surround adds a hollowness that I find unnatural.

Upgradeability of the Lenovo LOQ Essentials 15 Gen 11

Getting inside the LOQ is somewhat tricky. Removing the Philips-head screws is straightforward – they’re fortunately all the same size – but the bottom panel sits flush with the chassis edges, with no obvious entry points. I created one using my thumb to push in one of the rear chassis corners, which created a gap for my plastic pry tool.

Upgrade prospects are excellent, with two DDR5 SODIMM slots and two SSD slots, one M.2 2280 and one M.2 2242. The 512GB SSD in our model is M.2 2242 format and installed in the M.2 2280 slot. The M.2 2230 wireless card and the battery are also replaceable.

Battery Life on the Lenovo LOQ Essentials 15 Gen 11

Our battery testing consists of web browsing, running OpenGL tests, and streaming videos with the screen at 150 nits while connected to Wi-Fi. The LOQ's runtime of 4 hours and 54 minutes is short even for a gaming laptop, with the Asus lasting about two hours longer. Acer's Nitro completely outclassed it, lasting 10 hours and 17 minutes.

Heat on the Lenovo LOQ Essentials 15 Gen 11

We measure laptop surface temperatures while running the Metro Exodus stress test. The LOQ's peak temperatures were 108 degrees Fahrenheit (F) between the G and H keys while the touchpad was 79 F. The highest temperature was 112 F on the bottom near the cooling fan exhaust. Internally, the Core i7-13650HX measured 70 degrees Celsius (C) while the RTX 5060 was 66 C.

The LOQ’s fan noise is noticeable while gaming, but is no louder than other entry-level gaming laptops I’ve tested. Its speakers are easily loud enough to be heard over the fans.

Webcam on the Lenovo LOQ Essentials 15 Gen 11

Lenovo's webcam is a basic 720p model with a soft focus. It handles lighting reasonably well – a lamp behind me wasn't blown out – but detail is lacking and there's considerable grain. There's no physical shutter, but you'll find an e-shutter switch on the right edge.

Software and Warranty on the Lenovo LOQ Essentials 15 Gen 11

The LOQ includes two main apps. Legion Space shows component readouts like CPU speed and temperature, plus power profile toggles between Performance, Quiet, Balanced, and Custom. The app can also auto-disable the Windows key and auto-close specified apps when games are launched, and prioritize network traffic to apps you specify. An aim assist feature puts a crosshair in the center of the screen. The app also provides access to the Lenovo community and can be a game library.

The Vantage app is familiar across Lenovo laptops for support services, troubleshooting utilities, and system updates. System settings include battery smart charging (limits charge to 80% to extend battery lifespan). The app also has a security advisor that verifies anti-virus and firewalls are active and tells you if a Wi-Fi network is safe. The app contains upsells for Lenovo’s identity protection, system recovery, and performance tuneup subscription services.

Lenovo backs the LOQ with a one-year warranty.

Lenovo LOQ Essentials 15 Gen 11 Configurations

We tested the LOQ equipped with a Core i7-13650HX processor, RTX 5060 graphics card, 16GB of DDR5-4800 single-channel RAM, and a 512GB SSD, retailing for $1,269.99 at Best Buy. It was not yet available directly from Lenovo at the time of this review.

An even more basic spec with a Core i5-13450HX and RTX 5050 is listed on Lenovo's site as "coming soon" but wasn’t at the time of publishing. All configurations include a 1920 x 1080 IPS display with a 144 Hz refresh rate and Windows 11 Home.

Bottom Line

Lenovo’s LOQ Essentials 15 Gen 11 is a reminder that spec sheets don’t tell the whole story. While it delivers an RTX 5060 and a 144 Hz display for a competitive price, its conservative GPU power limits and older platform leave it trailing rivals in real-world performance. Though it gets many fundamentals right -- its display, keyboard, and upgradeability are all solid – it’s ultimately a serviceable gaming laptop rather than a competitive one. At this price, Acer’s Nitro V 16S AI is a stronger value.

Update. 08/18/2026: Original poster Reddit_2049 reached out to explain that their laptop wasn't authentication locked by a third party. Rather, they found the BIOS was factory locked to prevent consumers from having full access to HP's advanced configuration tabs and many underlying settings. In a message to Tom's Hardware, Reddit_2049 goes on to explain that "the RSA-related patch was necessary because modifying the firmware caused HP's integrity/signature checks to reject the modified BIOS and show 'BIOS Corruption Detected.'"
Original story follows.

BIOS-locked laptops are sometimes sold at bargain prices due to the operational restrictions this kind of firmware security puts on the device. Can AI tools be used to bypass this security measure? The answer looks like a yes, as Reddit_2049 on the Claude AI subreddit recently shared the process that successfully unlocked their HP 15-dw1036ne.

A new owner of a BIOS-locked laptop will typically not be able to bypass a password or PIN at startup, nor be able to adjust any BIOS settings. It depends on what kind of lock has been implemented. There was a time when removing the CMOS could reset the BIOS and break these chains, but for a long time, laptop makers have had far stronger security.

The particular laptop model with a BIOS lock to bypass by the Redditor was the HP 15-dw1036ne, a 10th-gen Intel processor-packing laptop from the turn of the decade. This looks like a consumer laptop, so we reckon it will have had a power-on password set by the previous owner, which somehow didn’t get communicated to Reddit_2049 through the used/recycled electronics ownership chain. However, it isn’t explicitly stated what kind of BIOS lock faced the Redditor, so it could have been a BIOS admin lock. These locks aren’t as stringent or formidable as those possible with HP’s commercial laptops, which can even tie BIOS locks to the system TPM…

Back to the HP 15-dw1036ne unlock process, and it came with BIOS version F.68. The Redditor had access to a CH341A chip flasher and code disassembly tools, but said the system would throw up a ‘BIOS Corruption Detected’ message if any modification was detected. That’s a check that makes hacking it all the more difficult. This is where Claude Code stepped in.

Looking for previous examples and details of someone successfully unlocking this specific HP laptop’s BIOS was fruitless. So, Reddit_2049 asked Claude Code to pick through their backup BIOS dump and try to unlock it. Long story short, it worked.

Three levels of patches

The Redditor shared a few technical details about the three levels of patches that were required to unlock the BIOS. These include: finding the RSA-2048 DXE-FV signature check bypass, and 55 hidden setup fields, as well as revealing advanced BIOS configuration tabs. But most important to know is that Claude Code wrangled these bits and bytes, so Reddit_2049 now has a fully open BIOS on their HP laptop.

A Python script that completes the whole process on this particular HP laptop is shared at the bottom of the Reddit post. This will back up your current BIOS, implement all three patches, and leave your HP 15-dw1036ne unlocked.

Please be warned that this script might not work with your laptop, even if it's an HP, even if it’s a 15-dw1036ne, or even if there are other differences like board revision. However, this example shows that laptops with locked BIOS access/features and no specific known bypass method can now be fully unlocked thanks to AI.

I’ve used thousands of laptops over the years, between testing and trade shows, so it isn’t often that an issue pops up that I haven’t encountered before. But that’s exactly what happened recently while working with Acer’s Swift Go 16 AI (review coming soon). This unassuming mid-range portable packs AMD’s Gorgon Point silicon, alongside a large IPS screen and a roomy 7-inch touchpad – nothing groundbreaking, but a solid, svelte system with a metal shell and an affordable price (at least when it’s on sale).

But pretty quickly, when I started setting it up and photographing it, I noticed that the screen would often go black, briefly, when I tried typing, and I would then get kicked out to the Windows lock screen. Since I was using a local account with no password to type in, this was only a minor annoyance at first. But it kept happening – not every time I tried to use the laptop, but often enough that I pretty quickly decided that the review unit must be faulty. Eventually, I reached out to Acer to explain and show them the problem.

Company engineers thought it might be a software conflict, and suggested I reset the system, which I did, to no avail. The screen was still flashing black and kicking me out to the lock screen. In fact, after some experimenting, I could sometimes make the issue occur when I was barely even touching the touchpad. I discussed it with colleagues, sent them the same video I had sent to Acer, and became convinced it was some kind of strange electrical fault with the touchpad. I eventually got a second review unit of the laptop, but by that time I was onto other priorities, so it sat for a week or so, until I decided to at least bring the original “faulty” laptop back to the office so I could box it up and return it to Acer.

Before I boxed it up to send back to Acer for their evaluation, though, I decided to show another colleague, Tom’s Guide’s lab tester Arif Bacchus, in our New York office. He watched me demonstrate the problem for about ten seconds before casually suggesting, “I think it might be your watch.”

This hadn’t even occurred to me, but as soon as he said it, everything started to fall into place in my mind. I had been wearing my Galaxy Watch 7 this and every time I had the issue, because I wear my watch pretty much whenever it isn’t charging. And my watch band (which Amazon tells me I’ve had since May of last year) has a magnetic clasp on the bottom, which sits a few inches behind my right wrist when I’m wearing it. And as I moved my wrist across the lower-right edge of the laptop, the screen went black for a second, and I was once again kicked back to the Windows lock screen.

The touchpad was never the issue, and the laptop isn’t faulty – although it does have a lid sensor that is triggered by a magnet embedded in the upper-right bezel, which can also be triggered by most other magnets if they get close to the bottom-right of the deck. I was able to duplicate the issue with a fridge magnet, a magnetic Qi 2 accessory, and a borrowed Apple Watch, which also had a band with a magnetic clasp.

While perhaps not the greatest of design choices, this is, to be clear, an issue that probably won’t affect a large portion of people. To run into the problem I had with this laptop specifically, you’d need to have a magnetic watch band and either be left-handed or the odd right-hander like me who also likes wearing their watch on their right wrist.

I wasn’t able to replicate this issue on any of the four other laptops (Dell, Apple, Lenovo, and Framework models) around my desk area. And the issue must be quite rare as, again, I have been wearing this watch band every day for 14 months or so, at CES in Las Vegas and two Computexes in Taiwan, where I put my fingers on dozens of laptops, and have never encountered screens that dim or turn off as my hands land on the keyboard deck.

There are definitely other documented instances of this happening, though. Once I knew what to look for, it was easy to find a few (but not particularly a lot) of discussions about this and related issues, on Reddit, Apple, Dell, and Acer forums, and a Medium article about Chromebooks confusing Apple watches. Some older mentions also note that magnetic bracelets can cause the same issue (somewhat obviously).

Clearly, this isn’t a new problem, but it isn’t well known. It was confusing enough that I was convinced the laptop was faulty and asked for a replacement. If I owned this Acer, it probably would have led me to return it and deal with an RMA process, only to eventually get another laptop that, even more frustratingly, would have the same issue. And yes, the replacement Swift Go 16 AI that Acer sent was also fooled by my watch band.

So what do you do if you have a laptop with a lid sensor that is triggered by your watch band? Your options should be pretty obvious.

You could get a new, non-magnetic band. I do love the convenience and easy removal of my current band, but this is probably the simplest solution.

You could learn to love wearing your watch on your opposite arm. For most people, this might be tough, but I do switch up watch arms now and then when my right wrist gets irritated by the fact that I track nearly every waking and sleeping moment of my life with my smartwatch. And if you aren’t using your PC during most of your waking hours like me, switching your watch to your other arm or taking it off just while working or gaming might be easy enough.

Also, if you just bought a laptop that is triggered by your favorite watch band, and you don’t want to give that up, you could return the laptop for something else.

The good news is that it’s unlikely any other random model you choose will have the same problem. Perhaps this magnetic sensor issue is more common on Chromebooks (which I tend to avoid), but none of the dozens of other laptop models I’ve put my wrists on since May of 2025 have been triggered by my watch strap. So if you’re unlucky enough to be struck by the curious watch strap laptop curse once, it probably won’t happen with the next laptop you choose. Still, it’s always good to check out a laptop in a store, if you can, for this and several other reasons.

We recently toured China-based Lenovo’s new production facilities here in the US. Lenovo is the number one player in the global PC market (by shipments), with products spanning consumer, business, and enterprise sectors. But while Lenovo is a Chinese-based company, it has a significant business presence in the United States. Its U.S. headquarters, which opened in 2005, is in Morrisville, NC, right in the heart of the Research Triangle Park. The company also opened its first PC manufacturing line, a short drive away in Whitsett, NC, shortly after.

This past Friday, Lenovo took the latest step in its efforts to expand its U.S. manufacturing presence with a symbolic ribbon-cutting for the expansion of manufacturing at its Whitsett facility. The company invested millions of dollars into the facility, doubling its footprint to 890,000 square feet. There are currently 400 line workers, with the capacity to expand that number to 1,000 in the near future.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand why Lenovo is making this investment, as it comes down to two words: artificial intelligence.

Lenovo in Whitsett

As Ashley Gorakhpurwalla, Executive VP and President for the Infrastructure Solutions Group, explained, for many of Lenovo’s customers, “AI is moving from the hype cycle now into the hero cycle.” With many of its customers looking to increase reliance on U.S.-produced hardware, an “infrastructure they can trust is going to be the catalyst for that.” So, it only made sense to tap into resources and the local community it has fostered over the past two decades

“Because behind every AI breakthrough, it's powerful, powerful infrastructure,” Gorakhpurwalla continued. “As technology becomes more advanced, I think that building high-quality infrastructure closer to our customers is becoming more important than ever.”

North Carolina might not always have been at the forefront of people’s minds when it comes to technological leadership, and it’s a question that Ben Massey, VP Supply Chain for Lenovo, has often fielded. “You know, people ask me all the time, how are you going to make that work in North Carolina?” Massey explained. “The way it's going to work is that we've got an arc from the Triangle to the Triad with thousands of engineers, thousands of manufacturing people in R&D who can work in supply chain, people who can all work together to bring this technology together with speed. Faster product development to mass production, shorter customer lead times, and greater end-to-end cost efficiency.”

Lenovo’s main U.S. R&D hub in Morrisville is just over an hour's drive away from the Whitsett facility along Interstate 40. In addition, the company can pull young talent from nearby universities like NC State, Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, and Wake Forest, along with the state’s robust community college system.

Lenovo and its local contractors were able to take the facility from an empty warehouse to a fully functioning server production line in nine months. That included the necessary electricity capacity (up to 20 MW) from Duke Energy.

By the Numbers

I was given a full tour of the Whisett manufacturing facility (along with other members of the press, Lenovo dignitaries, and local lawmakers), from start to finish. It was an impressive operation; one that I wish I could express to you in photos. However, photos and videos were strictly forbidden due to the proprietary nature of the hardware and testing equipment, and to protect Lenovo's customers' privacy.

The kitting area, where the components like processors, memory, and storage are assembled, encompasses 26,000 square feet. There are 10 kitting lines, where workers currently assemble 200 racks per week, with the capability to double that number to 400. The 50 team members in this area process over 150,000 parts per day.

There are currently seven assembly lines, residing in a space roughly double the size of the kitting area (53,000 square feet). Lenovo has the capacity to produce 1,400 server nodes per day across 28 assembly stations (one server is produced every 60 seconds).

At full tilt, Lenovo says that it will have 1,000 operators running three shifts. However, there are currently around 380. Employees get roughly 1,000 hours of training, and they rotate throughout different phases of the building process to hone their skills.

After touring the kitting and assembly lines, we moved into the testing areas, where L10 testing takes place. There are 10 thermally controlled testing pods, with 16 test racks per pod. The room is chilled using massive Computer Room Air Handlers (CRAH), each with 1 MW of cooling capacity.

In addition, there are 30 Vertiv Liebert XDU direct liquid cooling units (expandable to 50), each with a capacity of up to 300 kW, to aid with testing finished packages for customers. Lenovo explained that Nvidia GB300 racks consume 140 kW, while Vera Rubin will consume 230 kW at peak load. For comparison, the average U.S. household consumes between 1 and 1.5 kW per day. That's a lot of power coming from a rack measuring 18 inches across and seven feet tall. Lenovo’s first taste of Vera Rubin is said to be making its way to the Whitsett facility by the end of August.

We also toured where the massive freshwater pipes enter the building to fuel the cooling operations, along with the utility room, where the impressive overhead electrical conduits feed power into the site from a nearby substation. Working with Duke Energy, Lenovo was able to go from temporary power at the site to full power within 7 months.

Closing Thoughts

I’m not a native to this state; however, I’ve lived in central NC for 40 of my 46 years on this earth. So it was rather impressive to see the Whitsett facility taking shape roughly 20 minutes from my childhood home. However, the sense of pride was also clouded by the realities of the times that we live in. The proliferation of AI in nearly every facet of our lives is the entire impetus behind the need to expand server manufacturing capacity for the homeland. Companies like Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and others crave the computing hardware necessary to feed AI demands, which in turn is driving a wedge between big tech and local communities. From strains on local water supplies and power grids to the acquisition of land to build new data centers, we’re at a real crossroads where local communities, local governments, and big tech companies are each looking to have a say in how our future plays out.

When you use a laptop, you might assume that it will always perform the same, whether you use it while plugged in or unplugged. After all, these systems are designed to be used on the go. But for a long time, that hasn't been the case.

More recently, some silicon vendors have been boasting about closer parity in plugged and unplugged performance, offering you similar power whether you're working at your desk or anywhere else. To see the current state of this, we've taken samples of the latest laptop from each major CPU manufacturer: Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, and Apple, and run a few tests to see how they compare.

For the Windows systems, we used the balanced power profile, which was already the default on the majority of these laptops, while the MacBook Pro has an "automatic" power management profile out of the box.

Where we could, we went for top-end processors, including the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H, Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme, and Apple's M5 Max. In AMD's case, we had two Gorgon Point processors, a Ryzen AI 9 465 and a Ryzen AI 7 445. To see some generational gains, we also included an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V "Lunar Lake" chip.

We tested three ways: in Cinebench 2026 single-core and multi-core workloads, as well as using Handbrake, an open source video conversion tool, to transcode a 4K video to 1080p.

Note that we're not comparing the scores of the systems to each other. We're comparing the systems to themselves, to see how performance changes on the battery.

With those tests run, we can calculate percentage differences to see percentage changes. Notably, a number of systems actually increased performance ever so slightly on battery. This occurred the most on multi-threaded Cinebench, where the Zenbook A16 with Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme increased by 13.06%, while the ThinkPad X9 bumped up by 4.98%.

Qualcomm's chip was by far the most variable. While it dramatically increased in performance on battery for Cinebench nT, it dropped a similar amount for Handbrake.

But it was Apple and Intel that led the pack. While the Core Ultra X9 388H had the most consistent score on average, it did show 3% swings in multi-threaded Cinebench and on Handbrake. Apple's M5 Max results were the most consistent throughout, never swaying even a full percentage point on battery.

The least consistent system on battery power was the Acer Swift Go 16 AI, running on an AMD Ryzen AI 7 445. That system lost a ton of performance when unplugged from the wall, dropping as much as 56.25% performance off the wall. On average, benchmark scores were 50% lower on that system. On the HP OmniBook X Flip 14, Ryzen AI 9 465, it still dropped, but far less, losing an average of 5.45% performance on power based on these tests.

On the bright side, things are going in the right direction. Intel and Apple's most advanced systems give you very similar experiences on battery and power — at least in these tests. Snapdragon can, but sometimes it swings a bit. It's really AMD that needs to catch up in this regard. And we know that can be done. The Steam Deck, which was released in 2022, was specifically designed to have similar performance on and off the charger, and it uses a semi-custom AMD SoC. Its AMD-based opponents, however, still get better performance on a charge. You not only have to have your chip designed around battery and performance. You also need to make sure that the system around it is optimized for that.

The other side of this coin is efficiency. If you're able to perform heavy tasks on battery without losing performance, you're likely going to do it. That's especially the case if you do field work in creative or industrial fields. That means ensuring that your system can handle your workload long enough to get it done. But hey, there's always an external battery, right?

Everyone loves previews of pre-release hardware that just happened to fall off the back of a truck — particularly when it's a piece of kit that's been lighting up news headlines. Fouquin, a TechPowerUp reader, "accidentally" stumbled upon a Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra prototype that ensconces an Nvidia RTX Spark N1X SoC.

As a quick recap, the N1X is supposed to herald a generation of "AI laptops", meaning it's an alternative to the RTX Spark desktop, Mac Studio, Ryzen AI Max machines, and the Macbook Pro. This is due to the fact that they're all designs with large pools of unified memory and competent GPUs, making them suitable for non-datacenter AI work. The N1X packs 10 MediaTek-designed ARM CPU cores in a 5p5e configuration with multi-threading for 20 threads total, plus a GPU purportedly equivalent to a desktop RTX 4070 or a mobile RTX 5070. It can be wired up to 128 GB of LPDDR5X onboard in a unified pool, though the tested machine only has 24 GB.

Fouquin notes the limitations of their "review" and notes they're not an AI person, though they tried running the Phoronix AI test suite nonetheless. This yielded a mixed bag of results, as very few tests would reliably work, seemingly due to pre-production drivers. Some Vulkan tests did run properly, and the reported performance appears to be indeed in the ballpark of an RTX 4070, though there are two very important caveats.

First, this system and its drivers appear to be very buggy and unoptimized, particularly around power management. Fouquin says the system came with ancient 591.33 drivers from November 2025, eventually upgraded to 616.00 preview drivers with CUDA and Vulkan support. Apart from that, the tester found the machine's TDP spends and power plans behaving erratically, and none of the Phoronix CUDA tests produced results.

Second, head-to-head benchmarks are hard to come by, as RTX-series desktop cards have limited pools of VRAM compared to the 24 GB on the test machine. All told, there's a fair chance that final hardware might perform better, especially considering this pre-production machine displayed many outstanding issues with the LCD display, idle current draw, and that plugging it in or running it from battery didn't make any difference. Interestingly, despite the 616.00 drivers adding features, performance actually took a significant turn for the worse.

The Cinebench 2024 multi-threaded CPU test produced a result of 1386 points, trailing the 12-core Macbook M4 Pro, while Cinebench 2026 yielded 5771, a fair bit behind the Apple M4 Max. Fouquin did run some GPU tests, and the best results in 3DMark were with the older drivers. Port Royal showed 26-31 FPS on older drivers, while Nomad got 20-21 FPS. Meanwhile, Unigine Superposition actually improved with the 616.00 software, netting a maximum of 56-58 FPS.

Compared to desktop cards, those results would roughly match RTX 3060 or RTX 3060 Ti, once again underscoring the pre-release nature of the Nvidia drivers and related software. As if more illustration was needed, the Balanced power plan almost always produced the best results.

The story isn't much different in gaming, as Fouquin says that while most of their library of games ran fine, the performance was very sluggish, with multiple-second stutters and with GPU clock speed "bouncing all over the place." Helldivers 2 would outright crash the system, as did the GPGPU integer tests. Fouquoin believes these are all issues specific to this particular implementation of the N1X rather than a problem with the platform altogether. It's worth adding that presumably the games ran under the ARM emulation layer, which can introduce its own set of issues.

N1X chip and fixable warts aside, Fouquin actually liked the machine, remarking on the high build quality, the keyboard feel, touchpad input, and display quality. Given there were previous claims the machine would be serviceable, Fouquin put those to the test and opened it, finding that while that claim is technically true, "many snap-on thin aluminum sheet panels covering all the primary components (even encasing the SSD) means actually attempting to service the laptop will lead to much bending and/or breaking." Here's to hoping that this too is fixed before final release.

Following price hikes on the Mac and iPad due to the ongoing memory and storage crisis, Apple has announced a new leasing program, Apple Upgrade. The new offering will be "provided" by Klarna and available in Apple Stores in the U.S., as well as the Apple Store online and the Apple Store app.

There will be 24- and 36-month leasing options for the Mac and iPad, while the iPhone and Watch will have 12- and 24-month options.

Mac leases will start at $24.99 per month, which includes the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac Studio. Apple's announcement leaves out its cheapest systems, the MacBook Neo and Mac Mini.

iPad leases start at $11.99 per month and include the iPad Mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro, but not the base-level vanilla iPad.

It's a similar pattern for the Apple Watch, with leases starting at $11.99 but leaving out the Apple Watch SE 3. But the iPhone lineup (leases start at $17.99) doesn't have any exceptions, including the iPhone 17, 17e, and 17 Pro and Pro Max, and iPhone Air.

These are not purchases or loans. Customers can sign up for Klarna leases in-store or online (including a soft credit inquiry that doesn't affect your credit score). At the end of a lease, you can return your device and start a new lease to upgrade, purchase the device with a "one-time payment," or return the device and exit the lease entirely.

Unlike the iPhone Upgrade Program, Apple Upgrade leases don't include AppleCare, but Apple will let you buy a subscription. AppleCare also. saw some price hikes, likely because the components that are serviced under the extended service program are more expensive.

In fact, Apple Upgrade will replace the iPhone Upgrade Program in the United States, likely upsetting some diehard fans. Apple will allow those customers to lease a device through Klarna, buy the phone outright, or finance with monthly installments on their Apple Card. As always, there's carrier financing for phones.

If you want a Windows or Linux laptop that you can upgrade and repair, you should be looking at Framework. But to maintain that repairability, the company's build quality has always left something to be desired.

The Framework Laptop 13 Pro ($1,199 to start without SSD, RAM, or OS, $1,599 to start pre-built, approximately $3,272 as tested) is the company's attempt to shake that image, with a CNC aluminum chassis, a haptic touchpad, a high-resolution touchscreen, and other premium features that hadn't previously made it into Framework's repair-friendly laptops.

This design is far and away better than its existing chassis, but launching a laptop based on repairability when parts for it are extremely expensive puts the Laptop 13 Pro out of reach for many.

Design of the Framework Laptop 13 Pro

The Framework Laptop 13 Pro is a big step up in design from its predecessor, the original Framework Laptop 13. It has a new, blacked-out color scheme as opposed to Framework's go-to silver. But more importantly, it feels like a much more premium product.

The CNC-machined aluminum chassis has significantly less flex than the regular Framework laptop, which would sometimes bend with just one hand. That's not to say there's no bending, specifically around the display, but this is an improvement that made me feel far more confident having the laptop in my backpack.

The chassis has an almost velvety feel. I can't explain it, because this is solid aluminum, but it has some sort of coating that feels unique in my hands. The black color, however, is a fingerprint magnet.

With the laptop open, you'll find one area that doesn't feel as premium — the bezel, which is still plasticky and attached with magnets. It doesn't look or feel as premium as the rest of the system, and many other laptops have just a small portion below the screen, allowing for thinner borders, especially at the top.

This keyboard deck, too, feels more solid. There's a bit of give, sure, but the magnetic attachment and five Torx screws (more on that in upgradeability, below) feel a lot more like one consistent piece when assembled.

Our review unit came with the "graphite gray/black" keyboard, with distinct orange accents on the Framework keys (an extra $10). It looks really cool and should be the default, but there are also all-black options and one with lavender keys in place of the gray.

At 11.68 X 9.02 x 0.62 inches and 3.17 pounds, this system easily fits into my backpack. It's similar in size and thickness to a MacBook Pro (12.31 x 8.71 x 0.61 inches, 3.4 pounds with M5).

Upgradeability of the Framework Laptop 13 Pro

Framework's modularity continues on in the new design. In fact, if you wanted, you could build a Laptop 13 Pro around your old Framework mainboard, Ship of Theseus style (though some parts would need to be swapped simultaneously to accommodate the new battery's shape and size).

We reviewed a DIY Edition of the Laptop 13 Pro, which meant installing a Framework-supplied SSD and LPCAMM2 memory before getting started. The only tool you need is the Torx T5 screwdriver that comes in the box.

The SSD is a pretty standard install, but the memory, which is LPCAMM2, was a first for me. You have to be extremely careful with it, aligning the memory with a sensitive interposer (which also happens to be slightly under a ribbon cable connected to the screen. This got in the way for me a few times, but it's easy enough to get around. There's a memory cover that goes on top of the LPCAMM2, with three screws labeled in the order you should tighten them to firmly seat the module.

On AMD Ryzen AI 300 configurations, LPCAMM2 isn't available: you use standard SO-DIMMs.

From there, you need to attach the input cover using a ribbon cable (do take a minute to admire the underside of the haptic touchpad and its four piezo sensors), which then snaps into place on the chassis. The bezel snaps onto the bottom of the screen and also attaches with magnets.

From there, you flip the laptop over and tighten five captive Torx T5 screws. Pop in your expansion cards, lock the slots, and voila, you're ready to install an operating system.

On the Intel version we tested, there's nothing limiting where you place expansion cards. On models using AMD's Ryzen AI 300 chips, however, you'll want to be sure not to put USB Type-A ports in the rear slots, as they'll use more power than other cards.

If you buy a prebuilt version, the OS will come pre-loaded. Otherwise, you can largely reverse any of these steps at any time to make upgrades, including likely eventual mainboard improvements.

My main criticism is that LPCAMM2 is hard to get right now (harder, in general, than regular SO-DIMMs, which at least some enthusiasts might have around). You can get them from Framework, but this isn't a standard that you have a lot of options to buy from. In that way, the DIY version doesn't make a ton of sense, unless you really, really want to bring your own SSD.

Framework Laptop 13 Pro Specifications

Productivity Performance on the Framework Laptop 13 Pro

We tested the Framework Laptop 13 Pro in its most powerful configuration: with an Intel Core Ultra X9 388H and 64GB of RAM. Our system also had a roomy 2TB SSD. To best compare the system to other laptops in our benchmark database, we opted to run Windows 11.

On Geekbench 6, the Framework Laptop 13 Pro notched a single-core score of 2,952 and a multi-core score of 14,965. The single-core score was similar to the same X9 chip found in the Asus Zenbook Duo. But in multi-core, the Zenbook had a score that was 15.49% higher, likely due to cooling; Framework is cooling Intel's top mobile chip with a single fan. Apple's M5 MacBook Pro and Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 Elite in the HP OmniBook Ultra 14 both scored higher on both tests.

The Framework Laptop and its WD Black SN7100 SSD were the fastest of the group in copying 25GB of files, with a speed of 2,800.33 MBps, followed most closely by the OmniBook at 2,620.91 MBps.

On Handbrake, the Framework transcoded a 4K video to 1080p in 4 minutes and 9 seconds, ahead of the Duo but behind both ARM-based laptops.

To stress test the system, we ran Cinebench 2026 ten times and monitored scores and CPU speeds. The scores were largely in the 3,800 and 3,900's, with a peak score of 3979.85 on run 6, before scores started dropping down slightly. In HWInfo, the CPU’s P cores averaged 3.16 GHz, while the E cores reached 2.75 GHz, and the low-power E cores measured at 2.61 GHz.

Graphics on the Framework Laptop 13 Pro

As we've seen in other Panther Lake laptops, the Intel Arc B390's Xe cores are no joke.

The 12 cores on the X9 388H enabled the Laptop 13 Pro to achieve a score of 1,362 on 3DMark’s Steel Nomad cross-platform benchmark. It lost only to the presumably better-cooled Zenbook Duo using the same chip.

Display on the Framework Laptop Pro 13

The Framework Laptop 13 Pro marks the company's first custom display, along with the first time its 13-inch laptop has had a touchscreen (touch was previously available on the Framework Laptop 12).

The 13.5-inch, 2880 x 1920 display (one of the few 3:2 screens on the market these days) offers a variable refresh rate between 30 and 120 Hz.

Most importantly, Framework's display is exceedingly bright. In the trailer for Avengers: Doomsday, an explosion in the X-Mansion and lightning coming from Thor's Stormbreaker axe were eye-popping.

The panel measured an astounding 709 nits on our light meter, handily surpassing the MacBook Pro's mini LED screen (558 nits) and the OLED panels on the Asus Zenbook Duo (456 nits) and HP OmniBook Ultra 14 (414 nits).

The Framework's display was largely on par with the MacBook's in terms of color volume, covering 114.3% of sRGB and 81% of the more challenging DCI-P3 color space. The MacBook was a fraction of a percent better. The bigger differences are in the benefits mini LED may bring against LCD, but the point remains that for Framework, this is an impressive display. If older Framework Laptop 13 owners take one upgrade from this system, it may well be the panel for the sake of the quality, even if they don't care about touch.

Keyboard and Touchpad on the Framework Laptop 13 Pro

The keyboard cover on the Framework Laptop 13 Pro is one large piece sitting on top of the components, just like previous designs. Here, the keyboard has white backlighting and 1.5 mm of key travel.

And unlike some laptops, you can feel all of that travel. As I breezed through the monkeytype.com typing test at 123 words per minute, I did note that the keys feel a bit stiffer than I'm used to on other laptops. A colleague I showed the laptop to liked the effect, though I think some people might hope the keys wear in a bit.

This laptop also marks the first time Framework has offered a haptic touchpad. This one uses four Piezo sensors to convert pressure into clicks.

On the one hand, it's a huge step up from the company's mechanical touchpads, which often felt cheap. I never had any issues with gestures or navigation. But I could sometimes see and feel the haptic touchpad flex in the keyboard deck, which could probably be fixed with a bit of extra reinforcement.

Audio on the Framework Laptop 13 Pro

The Framework Laptop 13 Pro uses a pair of 2W side-firing speakers, rather than the bottom-firing speakers on the original Framework Laptop 13 design. If you're using Windows 11, you get Dolby Atmos support (tough luck for now if you're a Linux user), including the Dolby Settings app.

Despite Framework's claims that they're louder, they're really best for personal listening. Alice Merton's "Ignorance is Bliss" only barely filled my living room. The vocals, guitars, and drums were distinguishable and sounded pretty good otherwise.

It's not uncommon for wristrests to vibrate while playing music, but on the Framework Laptop, that extended to the haptic touchpad, which would noticeably move under my finger while listening to music.

Battery Life on the Framework Laptop 13 Pro

Framework is debuting a larger, 74 WHr battery on the Laptop 13 Pro. Even when powering the Core Ultra X9 388H, the system was long-lasting. On our battery test, which browses websites, streams video, and runs light OpenGL tests with the screen at 150 nits, the Laptop 13 Pro ran for 15 hours and 55 minutes, beating other Windows-based competitors. Only the MacBook Pro surpassed that, at 18 hours and 14 minutes.

Heat on the Framework Laptop 13 Pro

As configured, the Framework Laptop 13 Pro can get a bit toasty. Again, the Core X9 388H is running under a single fan.

During our Cinebench 2026 stress test, the keyboard hit 110 degrees Fahrenheit, which did feel warm to the touch. The haptic trackpad measured 90 F, while the hottest spot on the bottom was 117 F.

Internally, the CPU measured an average of 90.1 degrees Celsius and reported throttling for much of the back of the test.

Webcam on the Framework Laptop 13 Pro

The 1080p webcam on the Framework Laptop 13 Pro is serviceable, but not the best.

While colors were accurate enough in video and photo testing, there was graininess in both well-lit and dark images.

Additionally, this laptop doesn't sport an infrared camera for Windows Hello. Your only option is the fingerprint reader.

Software and Warranty on the Framework Laptop 13 Pro

We tested the Framework Laptop 13 Pro with Windows 11, and it was blissfully free of bloatware. Framework's dedicated shortcut on the F12 key opens up a page on its website for guides for the system.

I would like to see an easy way to customize the keyboard. VIA's web app doesn't recognize the keyboard in my testing (previously, it has only recognized the 16-incher and its various input modules). I hope to see support for that soon. (At least the key tester function worked).

Framework sells the Laptop 13 Pro with a one-year warranty. An extended three-year warranty is available that varies based on configuration. Framework told Tom's Hardware that this is because the "cost of servicing the warranty scales with the cost of the system," so more expensive systems with pricier hardware have more costly extended service plans.

Framework Laptop 13 Pro Configurations

We tested the Framework Laptop 13 Pro in a DIY configuration that's $1,799 with an Intel Core Ultra X9 388H before adding in memory, storage, an operating system, or any of the extras like the expansion cards.

If you purchased all of our components from Framework, the system was approximately $3,272 when we started testing it. In the middle of testing, the price of the memory on the DIY systems nearly doubled from $849 to $1,600, making our configuration roughly $4,023. That's without an OS, as we installed our own copy of Windows.

That being said, this configuration is backordered, and Framework isn't taking further orders: "We are working with Intel and expect to get additional allocation of X9, but we don't have timing we can communicate on when it will be available for order," Framework said through a PR representative. It's also likely to see a price increase, as the company has already announced that its X7 and X9 chip prices are going up. It's very possible that by time you read this review, any number of components may have changed price.

The 2TB SSD was $505, while the keyboard was $10 (for the colors), as was the bezel ($10), though both of those aesthetic options can be had for free if you opt for black or a few other color options.

The cheapest DIY Edition, with an Intel Core Ultra Series 3, starts at $1,499. If you prefer AMD Ryzen AI 300 over Intel Core Ultra Series 3, that starts at $1,399 with a Ryzen AI 7 350.

On the prebuilt side, the cheapest Intel system (with the same Core Ultra 5 325, plus 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage) is $1,599 (up from $1,499 during pre-orders), while AMD versions begin at $2,299 (up from $2,099) with 1TB of storage and 32GB of memory.

Bottom Line

When Framework debuted the Laptop 13 Pro, it promised a "MacBook Pro for Linux users." I'm not sure I agree. The MacBook Pro has an air of utility, while the Framework Laptop Pro 13 is more playful. That alone makes it feel different.

This Framework is by far its best-built laptop, feeling more premium and rigid than ever before, along with a bright screen and a haptic touchpad. But there are some areas, like the bezels and expansion ports, that still show the gaps.

The new silicon is also faster and more efficient than we've seen. We've complained about battery life on some older Framework systems, but Panther Lake is efficient enough (along with a 74 WHr battery) to bring Framework in line — and ahead — of at least some premium Windows-based competitors.

Price and availability may scare off some customers. Erratic, expensive chip pricing is the norm these days, but most people don't see that firsthand. They only see the bottom line. But also, at this price, you could get an M5 Max MacBook Pro with 32GB of RAM, which would way outperform this system on multi-core and graphics performance.

There is room for improvement, especially in cooling. But the biggest issue Framework has here for its niche audience is the price of components, especially for the DIY edition. But if you happen to have parts lying around, there's no question that this design should usurp its old one as quickly as possible.

The best laptops must do more than look expensive; they need to justify their price with the right mix of design, performance, display quality, and daily usability. HP’s OmniBook X Flip 14 (starts at $1,399.99; $2,599.99 as tested) gets much of that formula right, with a sublime metal chassis, a choice of two refined colors, AMD Ryzen AI processors, and the convenience of a 2-in-1 design. It feels every bit like a high-end machine, with solid entertainment features and impressive build quality, but its high price, middling performance, and merely decent 1920 x 1200 OLED display keep it from fully standing out.

Design of the HP OmniBook X Flip 14

The OmniBook X Flip 14 is HP’s design at its best. The deep espresso finish gives the laptop a rich, almost executive character. (The other available color is atmospheric blue.) Its matte metal surfaces felt reassuringly solid in my hand. HP also claims a MIL-STD-810H durability rating.

At 12.32 x 8.6 x 0.57 inches, the OmniBook’s footprint is slightly larger than Dell's XPS 14, though the weight is essentially a wash: 3.09 pounds for HP versus 3 pounds flat for Dell. Lenovo’s Yoga Slim 7i is much lighter at 2.15 pounds, but HP is the only one offering a 2-in-1 form factor, with a 360-degree display hinge that lets it fold into a tablet. While its size and weight prevent it from being a good iPad replacement, the functionality can be handy in cramped places like an airplane seat where it might not be as comfortable to use it as a laptop.

The laptop offers just enough connectivity– two USB4 ports, one USB-A port (10 Gbps), HDMI 2.1, and an audio jack. The compact 65 W power adapter plugs into either USB4 port, conveniently split across both sides of the chassis. A Realtek 8922AE-VS networking card supports the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard.

HP OmniBook X Flip 14 Specifications

Productivity Performance on the HP OmniBook X Flip 14

We tested a high-end OmniBook X Flip 14 configuration featuring a Ryzen AI 9 465 processor, 32GB of RAM, and a 2TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD.

Our comparison systems include the 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro featuring the M5 processor (was $2,349 as tested, but is now $2,549), the Dell XPS 14 with a Core Ultra X7 358H ($2,199.99), and two Lenovo models: the Yoga Slim 7i ($1,629.99 with a Core Ultra 7 355) and the Yoga Slim 7x ($1,579 with a Snapdragon X2 Elite X2E-88-100). The OmniBook is the only 2-in-1 design in the group.

The OmniBook landed in the lower half of the pack. In Geekbench, where it scored 13,734 points in multi-core, and our Handbrake 4K-to-1080p video transcoding test, which it completed in 4 minutes and 56 seconds, it outpaced the Core Ultra 7 355-powered Yoga Slim 7i (11,555 points and 5:56), but it couldn't match the stronger Core Ultra X7 358H in the XPS 14 (16,927 points and 4:30). The MacBook Pro proved even more potent (17,926 points and 3:31) but it was outgunned by the Snapdragon-powered Yoga Slim 7x (20,563 points and 2:11).

The OmniBook's average speed in our 25GB file transfer test was 1,477.3 MBps, essentially tying the XPS 14 (1,419.76 MBps) but trailing the Yoga Slim 7i (1,659.21 MBps). The MacBook Pro (1,917.35 MBps) and Yoga Slim 7x (1,934.78 MBps) led.

Though it didn't top our charts, the OmniBook still offers performance a step above what many thin-and-light laptops offer and decent multitasking capability, with its 10-core/20-thread design.

To stress test productivity laptops, we run 10 loops of Cinebench 2026. The OmniBook started at 3,465 points and slowly descended to 3,070 points by the fifth iteration, then steadily recovered and completed the last run with 3,306 points. During the test, the Ryzen AI 9 465 CPU ran at an average frequency of 2.79 GHz.

Graphics Performance on the HP OmniBook X Flip 14

In 3DMark Steel Nomad, the OmniBook's Radeon 880M integrated graphics offered basic performance at best, outpacing the Intel Graphics in the Yoga Slim 7i (513 points), but coming nowhere near close to Adreno X2-90 GPU in the Yoga Slim 7x (1,115 points), MacBook Pro (1,122 points) or the Arc solution in Dell's XPS 14 (1,446 points), powered by the Core Ultra X7 358H.

Display on the HP OmniBook X Flip 14

The HP OmniBook X Flip 14 is available with three touch display options: a 1920 x 1200 IPS, a 1920 x 1200 OLED, or a sharper 2880 x 1800 OLED. Our unit came with the middle option, the 1920 x 1200 OLED. It’s unquestionably colorful – watching Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Endor’s green forests looked lush, and OLED’s excellent contrast provided inky blackness in space scenes.

Brightness, however, is the weak point. Stormtrooper armor didn’t have the crisp white pop that it should, and blaster bolts and lightsabers looked a bit muted. HP rates this panel for just 300 nits, which is low even by OLED standards and feels out of place given the rest of the laptop’s excellent execution.

That said, the 2880 x 1800 OLED panel should solve that problem. HP rates it for 500 nits in SDR and 1,100 nits in HDR, and it also increases the refresh rate to 120 Hz – all the other panels are limited to 60 Hz. Since the 2880 x 1800 panel is only $80 more than the 1920 x 1200 version through HP’s online configurator, it looks like the display upgrade to get.

The OmniBook is also compatible with a digital MPP 2.0 pen, which we didn’t test, but HP offers as a $30 option.

Our charts confirm the OmniBook’s limited brightness, registering just 266 nits. The OLED-equipped XPS 14 and Yoga Slim 7x are considerably brighter, but none of them come close to the Yoga Slim 7i. The MacBook Pro proved the brightest, though it’s not an exact comparison since it uses a mini LED panel. Color-wise, however, the OmniBook topped the charts, with sRGB and DCI-P3 coverage just as high as the Yoga Slim 7x.

Keyboard and Touchpad on the HP OmniBook X Flip 14

The OmniBook has a keyboard that I can type on for long sessions without feeling fatigued. The keys offer just enough travel to feel engaging, with good cushioning at the bottom of the keystroke and a flex-free deck. Though key spacing is minimal, the angled edges of the keys provide a sense of separation.

On the MonkeyType test, I hit 120 words per minute with perfect accuracy, which is as quickly as I can go on any keyboard. White backlighting provides excellent visibility; toggling backlight brightness (F10) briefly brings up a handy menu to adjust backlight duration.

Layout-wise, the half-height up and down and full-size left and right aren’t intuitive, and dedicated home, end, page up, and page down keys are absent. The F1 key, which doubles as volume mute, offers a convenient orange LED indicator when the volume is off.

The touchpad is mechanical rather than haptic. Its nicely sized, matte surface offers seamless finger swiping – my fingers didn’t stutter or drag – and predictable clicking action.

Audio on the HP OmniBook X Flip 14

The OmniBook’s dual speakers provide decent audio for a laptop. While not loud – there’s just enough volume for movie watching in a quiet room – the setup sounds balanced and has audible bass. In Phil Collins’ “Don’t Lose My Number”, the drum hits had a satisfying sharpness and some punch at the low end. Vocal and instrument separation is good, with no hint of strain. The Chainsmokers’ “Summertime Friends” also sounded pleasant: crisp vocals, enough bass to satisfy, and an airy soundstage.

HP includes a DTS Headphone:X license (useful if you have supported headphones, which I don’t) and DTS:X decoder license via the DTS Sound Unbound app, though it doesn’t provide any equalizer controls. Confusingly, to get software EQ, you need to use the HP app, which provides music, movie, and voice presets and a graphic EQ. I found the Music preset sounded best and didn’t hear improvements while tweaking the EQ.

Upgradeability of the HP OmniBook X Flip 14

Four small Philips-head screws secure the OmniBook’s bottom panel, which are not all the same size – the fronts are shorter than the rears. I used a plastic trim tool to pop the clips securing the panel, starting along the rear edge and working my way around the edges.

Upgradeable components include the M.2 2280 SSD, M.2 2230 wireless card, and the battery. The memory is not upgradeable.

Battery Life on the HP OmniBook X Flip 14

The OmniBook X Flip 14 lasted a respectable 14 hours and 53 minutes in our battery test, which consists of web browsing, running OpenGL tests, and streaming videos with the screen at 150 nits while connected to Wi-Fi. It outlasted Dell’s XPS 14 (12:23) but it was almost two hours shy of the Yoga Slim 7i (16:38) and couldn’t catch the MacBook Pro (18:14) or Yoga Slim 7x (19:25). That said, the OmniBook’s numbers still make it perfectly practical for a full workday without a charger.

It’s notable that configurable models come equipped with a more powerful 70 Wh battery if they are also equipped with the 2880 x 1800 OLED panel. It's possible the higher-resolution display requires more power.

Heat on the HP OmniBook X Flip 14

During our 10-loop Cinebench 2026 stress test, the OmniBook's surface temperatures peaked at 79 degrees Fahrenheit on the touchpad, 109 F between the G and H keys, and 113 F on the underside. Internally, the Ryzen AI 9 465's average temperature was 69 degrees Celsius across all cores. The laptop felt borderline hot to the touch in certain places. Without the stress of a benchmarking run, the laptop felt lukewarm at most. Its cooling fans sound unnoticeable for general use and are quiet enough to be ignored under load.

Webcam on the HP OmniBook X Flip 14

HP’s 1080p webcam delivers a balanced picture. In my living room with overhead lighting, my face was properly exposed despite a bright window in the background, which wasn’t blown out. Some noise was evident in darker shadows, but the picture looked smooth and detailed. The detail is also good – I could make out writing on my chalkboard about a dozen feet away. The webcam also offers an IR sensor for Windows Hello sign-ins and a physical privacy shutter.

Software and Warranty on the HP OmniBook X Flip 14

The main app included on the OmniBook is the HP app, which provides software updates, battery smart charge settings, touchpad gesture control, diagnostics, a virtual support assistant, and support access. Audio equalizers are also available, though spatial settings are in the tandem DTS Sound Unbound app.

HP also includes its Omni+ app for secure password management, HP Smart for connecting printers, and HP TV+ to centralize streaming apps. A McAfee trial was also installed. These apps are not unique to the OmniBook, though, and don’t directly add value.

HP covers the OmniBook X 14 Flip with a one-year warranty.

HP OmniBook X 14 Flip Configurations

We tested the OmniBook X Flip 14 in a built-to-order configuration direct from HP with a Ryzen AI 9 465 processor, Radeon 880M integrated graphics, 2K OLED display, 32GB of RAM, 2TB SSD, and Windows 11 Pro. It retailed for $2,599.99 as of this writing, though a 13% off sale briefly appeared during the review period.

Models from HP start at $1,399.99 with a Ryzen AI 5 430/Radeon 840M, 2K IPS screen, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. Customization options include Deep Espresso or Atmospheric Blue colors, several CPU choices – a Ryzen AI 7 445/Radeon 840M, Ryzen AI 7 450/Radeon 860M, and Ryzen AI 9 465/Radeon 880M. CPUs starting with the Ryzen AI 7 445 automatically upgrade to 32GB of memory. Storage choices range from 512GB to 2TB.

HP also sells a version of this laptop with Intel Core Ultra Series 3 internals, which aren’t priced too differently from the AMD models.

Bottom Line

The HP OmniBook X Flip 14 is a polished premium convertible with excellent build quality, comfortable inputs, and practical battery life, but its high price, middling performance, and underwhelming 2K OLED display make the value equation tricky.

Lenovo’s Yoga Slim 7i offers a superior screen for less money, while Dell’s XPS 14 delivers better performance if you’re willing to sacrifice some battery life. Still, HP remains worth considering if the 2-in-1 functionality is a priority, especially if you configure it with the sharper, brighter 2880 x 1800 OLED panel.

If you want the performance of Dell’s XPS family but don’t want to lay out the cash to step up to a slightly snazzier design and higher resolution display, the Dell 14S is a cheaper alternative. The 14S is Dell’s mainstream 14-inch laptop, starting at $1,269 compared to $1,589 for the XPS 14.

A nearly $300 difference is nothing to sneeze at in this economy, so we’ll take a look at the 14S and what it offers for a cost-sensitive audience. And with an as-tested price of $1,469, we’ll see whether it still represents good value compared to its more expensive sibling.

Design of the Dell 14S (2026)

Although the 14S is a lower-priced alternative to the XPS 14, it doesn't skimp on features or build quality. Like the trendier XPS 14, the 14S features an aluminum chassis finished in celestial blue on our review unit. The keyboard deck, lid, and bottom of the chassis feature a matte finish, while the edges of the chassis and lid are highly polished.

The only hint of cost-cutting to my eyes is the use of a plastic bezel around the screen. However, I wouldn’t have even noticed the material difference if Dell hadn’t explicitly pointed it out. Build quality is impeccable, with no flex in the chassis and no floppiness in the firm display hinge.

While the XPS 14 goes for a minimalist approach on the port front with just three Thunderbolt 4 ports, the 14S gives you a lot more variety. You’ll find an HDMI 2.1 port, a USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port, and two Thunderbolt 4 ports on the left side of the chassis. On the opposite side, there’s another USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port and a 3.5 mm jack. There’s really nothing to complain about here, and it’s nice to see that we have both USB-A and USB-C support for legacy and newer devices alike.

Our 14S review unit features a 1200p OLED touchscreen, weighs 3.28 pounds, and measures 12.35 x 8.82 x 0.61 inches. For comparison, the XPS 14 is 12.19 x 8.26 x 0.58 inches and weighs just 3 pounds. The Asus ZenBook A16 measures 13.92 x 9.54 x 0.65 inches and weighs 2.87 pounds, while the Apple MacBook Air (M5) weighs 2.7 pounds and measures 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches.

Dell 14S (2026) Specifications

Productivity Performance on the Dell 14S (2026)

The Dell 14S uses an Intel Core Ultra 7 355 processor, featuring 4 performance cores, 4 low-power efficient cores, and a maximum turbo frequency of 4.7 GHz. This is the same processor used in one of the XPS 14 models we tested. The Zenbook A16 uses a Snapdragon X2 Elite SoC, Qualcomm’s flagship Arm chip and an excellent all-around performer, while the MacBook Air uses Apple’s entry-level M5 Arm SoC.

Our review unit came equipped with 16GB of LPDDR5x-7467 memory and a 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD. 512GB is rather small at this price point, considering most laptops we test come with a 1TB SSD as the baseline.

In the Geekbench synthetic CPU benchmark, the 14S's single-core performance closely mirrored that of the XPS 14 featuring the same CPU, with the former achieving a score of 2,704 versus 2,685 for the latter. However, there was a significant discrepancy between the two in the multi-core benchmark, with the 14S hitting 11,064 compared to 7,964 for the XPS 14. The Zenbook A16 proved to be an exceptional performer with its Snapdragon X2 Elite processor, with 3,807 and 22,733 on the single-core and multi-core benchmarks, respectively.

The 512GB SSD on the 14S was relegated to the back of the pack in our 25GB file transfer test, finishing at an average speed of 1,378.71 MBps. This was well behind the XPS 14 (1,730 MBps) and the chart-topping MacBook Air (1,924 MBps)

It was a similar story on our Handbrake test, in which we transcode a 4K video file to 1080p. Here, the 14S finished the test in 7 minutes and 22 seconds, nearly 40 seconds behind the XPS 14. However, the Zenbook A16 absolutely smoked all of the laptops in this test, finishing in just 2 minutes and 8 seconds.

During the Cinebench 2026 stress test, the 14S started at just over 1,600, before dipping to 1,465. It then recovered to a peak of 1,735 before settling in the 1,550 to 1,650 range for the rest of the runs.

The Ultra 7 355 P-cores averaged 2.61 GHz, while the low-power E-cores averaged 2.45 GHz.

Graphics on the Dell 14S (2026)

The Dell 14S uses integrated Intel Graphics with 4 Xe cores. On the 3DMark Steel Nomad test, the 14S achieved a score of 505, which was just below that of the XPS 14 (532).

However, the Zenbook A16 once again flexed its muscle with a score of 1,262, while the MacBook Air came in at 1,005, nearly double the result of the 14S.

Display on the Dell 14S (2026)

Our 14S review unit came optioned with a 1920 x 1200 (FHD+) 60 Hz OLED touchscreen. This is a step up from the base system and features an FHD IPS display.

The display was overall quite colorful, with vivid colors and inky blanks; something that I’ve come to appreciate with OLED displays. I watched a few movie trailers, including the most recent trailer for The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The trailer for Spider-Man looked especially brilliant, with the suit's iconic red and blue and the seismic destruction left by Hulk's Thunderclap.

My one complaint about the display is that it wasn’t particularly bright. Dell specs the OLED panel at 300 nits, and our lab instruments measured an average of just 269 nits. The displays on all of its competitors broke the 400-nit mark, with the XPS 14 hitting 466 nits.

As for color performance, the display on the 14S reached 84.5 percent of the DCI-P3 space by volume and 119.3 percent of the sRGB space. Those numbers were right on top of the numbers we recorded for the other three laptops in this test, with just a few percentage points separating them.

Keyboard and Touchpad on the Dell 14S (2026)

The Dell 14S features an island-style backlit keyboard with springy keys and near-silent actuation. The exception to this rule was the spacebar, which seemed to bottom out easily and rewarded me with a grating “clank” every time I pressed it with my thumb.

With that said, I used Keyhero.com to measure my typing speed, which was 87 words per minute with 97 percent accuracy.

Unlike the XPS 14, the 14S doesn’t feature a haptic trackpad (after all, cost-cutting has to come from somewhere). Instead, it features a top-hinged trackpad, meaning that “clicks” performed near the top of the surface, above the hinge, don’t register. You’ll need to keep your thumb near the bottom of the touchpad, where your thumb should naturally rest anyway if you’re using proper hand positioning.

Audio on the Dell 14S (2026)

The 14S uses dual 2-watt speakers, which sound reasonable enough. They’re not particularly powerful or worthy of high praise. I played the City of Angels soundtrack, culminating with the four heavenly instrumental tracks performed by Gabriel Yared.

While the strings sounded quite good, the angelic vocals that come in about a third of the way through in An Angel Falls sounded dull and lifeless. This was especially disappointing as the voices dropped into the lower registers. However, this is me being nitpicky about audio using one of my favorite albums of all time; for typical productivity-related tasks, the speakers on the 14S will do just fine. I didn’t find any third-party software to fine-tune the speakers.

Upgradeability of the Dell 14S (2026)

There are six screws (two of which are captive) that hold the Dell 14S' bottom panel in place. Once the screws are removed, the whole panel lifts off from the back.

There are two upgradeable pieces of hardware inside our review unit (besides the battery, which can be replaced): there’s an M.2 PCIe Intel BE213 Wi-Fi 7 card and a Kioxia 2230 PCIe 4.0 512GB SSD. While our unit had a 2230 SSD, the M.2 slot can accommodate up to 2280 modules.

Battery Life on the Dell 14S (2026)

One of the remarkable accomplishments of the XPS 14 that we previously tested was its battery life. The 14S also delivers on that front, lasting 20 hours and 41 minutes on our battery test, consisting of browsing the web, streaming video, and running OpenGL tests at 150 nits of brightness. This was just one minute shy of the XPS 14’s performance. Also, keep in mind that the 14S has an OLED display; our previous XPS 14 review unit used a non-touch IPS panel, so a similarly equipped 14S would likely post even better battery numbers.

For comparison, the MacBook Air, which has long been one of the reigning champs of battery life, could only muster 15 hours and 28 minutes of runtime. And the Zenbook A16, which was a performance monster in our productivity tests, couldn’t quite hit 10 hours and 30 minutes.

Heat on the Dell 14S (2026)

While running our Cinebench 2026 stress test on the 14S, we measured external surface temperatures and processor temperatures via its internal sensors.

The Core 7 Ultra 355 hit 106 degrees Fahrenheit on the keyboard between the G and H keys, around 82 F on the touchpad, and 108 F on the hottest point on the bottom. The processor measured 88 degrees Celsius.

One thing to note is that while the XPS 14 has two system fans, the 14S has just one.

Webcam on the Dell 14S (2026)

Dell's 14S uses an entry-level acceptable 2MP camera. It is by no means as clear or crisp as the 8MP unit in the more expensive XPS 14, but we weren't expecting that given its positioning. Color was quite good on the webcam, but the images were neither sharp nor grain-free. There was a lot of noise in the images, and details were quickly lost, as my facial hair looked a bit "muddy."

The camera also struggled with the overhead LED lights in my home office, causing blooming effects that marred the images.

Like many laptops, the 14S also incorporates an IR sensor for Windows Hello facial recognition.

Software and Warranty on the Dell 14S (2026)

The 14S is relatively light on included bloatware. Dell Optimizer and Dell Support Assist are installed by default. The former lets you optimize settings for the display, battery, and thermal management. The latter allows you to scan your system for issues, update software/firmware, optimize your network connection, and obtain assistance from customer service.

There are also the usual Intel utilities for graphics and security; however, I didn’t see the app shortcuts typically featured in a fresh Windows 11 installation (e.g., Dropbox, LinkedIn).

The 14S comes with one year of what Dell calls Basic Onsite Service. You can optionally add Accidental Damage Service (covering drops, spills, and power surges) for $59/year (currently on promotion for $29/year).

Dell 14S (2026) Configurations

The 14S is available with four processors (Core Ultra 5 322, Core Ultra 7 355, Core Ultra X7 358H, and Core Ultra 9 386H), Intel Graphics or Arc Graphics, 16GB or 32GB of memory, 512GB or 1TB SSD, and a 14-inch 1200p IPS or OLED display (in touch or non-touch options). You can also choose between Celestial Blue and Frost Blue for the chassis color when ordering directly from Dell.com.

The base configuration with a Core Ultra 5 322 processor, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 14-inch non-touch IPS display costs $1,269.99. That is a very attractive entry point for the 14S, but options can quickly ratchet up the price. For example, a config with a Core Ultra 9 386H, Intel Graphics, 32GB of memory, a 512GB SSD, and a 14-inch touch OLED display retails for $2,019.99, while a Core Ultra X7 358H with Arc Graphics, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 14-inch touch OLED display sells for $1,869.99. In the $1,800 to $2,000+ price range, you’d probably be better off going with an XPS 14.

Our review unit, featuring the Core Ultra 7 355, Intel Graphics, 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD, and a 14-inch touch OLED display, landed about in the middle at $1,469.99.

Bottom Line

The Dell 14S attempts to mimic some of the perks of its flashier relative, the XPS 14, with a high-quality aluminum chassis, OLED display options, and stellar battery life (over 20 hours in our testing). It also adds in features you don’t get on the XPS 14, like an HDMI 2.1 port and USB-A ports.

However, you also give up a bit. You don’t get the quad speakers, 8MP webcam, Gorilla Glass screen cover, or the option for a 2.8K 120 Hz OLED touch screen.

If those features aren’t important to you, consider this: our 14S review unit retails for $1,469.99. An XPS 14 with the same processor, memory allotment, storage size, and a 14-inch 2.8K 120 Hz OLED display costs $2,249.99. That’s a nearly $800 upcharge. In the grand scheme of things, the 14S is definitely living up to its “mainstream” positioning in the Dell laptop family.

Framework is adjusting the pricing for its upcoming Framework Laptop 13 Pro, the company announced in a blog post. The company says that its supplier of LPCAMM2 memory updated pricing to be "more than double" its existing inventory, while laptops and mainboards will see increases due to rises in prices for other components.

"We recently received a cost update from our LPCAMM2 supplier that goes far beyond anything we had predicted and anything we’re able to absorb without placing our ability to operate at real financial risk," wrote chief executive Nirav Patel. "Rather than the low-to-mid double digit [sic] percentage increase we had forecast from Q2 to Q3 on LPCAMM2 costs, we received prices that are more than double that of the prior inventory we had brought in."

LPCAMM2 memory is specifically in the Intel Core Ultra Series 3 version of the laptop, while models using AMD Ryzen AI 300 processors are sticking with SO-DIMMs.

But while Patel said the company has enough LPCAMM2 modules to fulfill existing pre-orders, their mix of 64GB, 32GB, and 16GB options doesn't match it exactly. Instead, the company is fulfilling as many orders of 64GB as it can before dropping down to 32GB at the original 32GB price. From there, it will drop certain 32GB to 16GB at that original price. Here's how Patel puts it:

"After evaluating a number of possible paths forward, we’re proceeding on the one that we believe minimizes the impact of this challenge. We have enough 64GB modules in inventory to cover pre-order batches through Batch 4 of laptops and Batch 7 of Mainboards. For orders beyond that configured with 64GB, we’ve updated the order configuration to use a 32GB module at the original 32GB module price. After that, we allocated the remaining 32GB modules to DIY Edition and Mainboard pre-orders configured with 32GB through Batch 4 of laptops and Batch 7 of Mainboards. For DIY Edition and Mainboard orders beyond that configured with 32GB, we’ve updated the order configuration to use a 16GB module at the original 16GB price. Note that because we don’t currently have a Core X7 Ultra pre-built configuration with 16GB of memory, we have not adjusted pre-built orders that originally contained 32GB. That is a configuration we plan to introduce later."

Framework will continue offering 16GB LPCAMM2 modules at $239, but said it will have to increase the cost once those modules run out. But the 32GB modules will now be $800 (they were previously $439), while the 64GB modules in pre-orders going forward will be an eye-watering $1,600, up from $849.

But that's not all. Framework is also raising the price of systems and mainboards in new orders. Patel wrote that X7 and X9 chips will be getting more expensive, as well as Windows license costs, and "increases in memory, storage, and other silicon costs for some of our Ryzen AI 300 Series configurations."

Patel wrote that Framework's supply chain experts have been able to bring down costs on some components, including 48GB DDR5 modules and SN850X 8TB and SN7100 1TB SSDs, while increasing costs of 16GB DDR5 modules and SN850X 1TB and SN7100 4TB drives. Patel says that pre-orders with components getting lower pricing will have their prices dropped if they're not yet fulfilled. If prices go up, Framework says it will still charge what you paid when you pre-ordered.

Patel and his team have been updating this blog, which showcases a very rocky ecosystem, more publicly than most other PC vendors.

Framework's website says that the first batch of pre-orders for the Laptop 13 Pro is set to ship in July. That gives the company a week to get these systems out the door.

The Razer Blade 16 has long been leading contender among the best gaming laptops, thanks in part to its careful component selection and strong style. In this case, our review unit comes equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor and a flagship RTX 5090 GPU.

While the chassis remains the same as the Razer Blade 16 that we tested a little over a year ago, the 25W processor in our new review unit enabled some impressive runtimes that eclipse the competition. You’ll have to pay a considerable sum for the luxury, but the Blade 16 makes as strong a case as a compelling premium gaming laptop.

Design of the Razer Blade 16

We were impressed with the design of last year's Blade 16, and luckily, Razer hasn’t altered the formula for this year’s model. You get the same matte-black chassis that measures just 0.69 inches at its thickest point (0.59 inches towards the front). Build quality remains excellent in true Razer fashion.

The overall design is minimalist, with a minimal amount of RGBs and no obvious ventilation slats along the sides for heat management. Instead, the clean design would look at home sitting on your desk while you're gaming with an Xbox controller, or sitting on your desk in a cubicle at work. The only bit of flash that you’ll find is the RGB Razer logo on the lid.

You’ll find thin bezels around the glossy 16-inch OLED display, below which you’ll find the full-size keyboard and a large trackpad. There’s also a small status LED at the front right of the chassis (just below the Intel Core Ultra sticker on the deck). It pulses white when the laptop is in standby mode.

There’s a healthy assortment of ports on the laptop, including three legacy USB 3.3 Gen 2 Type-A ports. There’s also one Thunderbolt 4 port, one Thunderbolt 5, an SD card reader (UHS-II), a full-size HDMI 2.1 port, and a 3.5 mm combo audio jack. There’s also a proprietary power port.

The Blade 16 measures 13.98 x 9.86 x 0.69 inches and weighs 4.71 pounds. For comparison, the MSI Raider 16 HX also packs an RTX 5090, but measures 14.29 x 10.62 x 1.14 inches and weighs over a pound more (5.73 pounds). The Alienware 16 Area-51 is heavier still at 7.49 pounds, with dimensions of 14.37 x 11.41 x 1.12 inches.

Razer Blade 16 Specifications

Gaming and Graphics on the Razer Blade 16

Our Blade 16 review unit is equipped with a Core Ultra 9 386H processor, which has 16 total cores (4 performance, 8 efficient) and a maximum performance turbo frequency of 4.9 GHz for the performance cores. There’s also 32GB of LPDDR5x memory and a GeForce RTX 5090 GPU (1,597 MHz boost clock, 175W max TGP).

This combo generally performed well across our gaming benchmark suite, with a few exceptions. While playing Battlefield 6 at native resolution in Overkill detail mode, with DLSS Quality and Frame Generation enabled, I was comfortably getting between 110 and 120 FPS, even with a lot of action happening on the screen.

For this review, the competitive set consists of last year's Blade 16 (Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 at 28W, RTX 5090 at 160W TGP), MSI Raider 16 Max HX (Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus at 55W, RTX 5090 at 175W TGP), and the Alienware 16 Area-51 (Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus at 55W, RTX 5080 at 175W TGP).

As usual, we start our gaming benchmarks with the Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Highest setting) benchmark, where the Blade 16 delivered 182 FPS at 1080p. Performance at 1600p scaled down to 133 FPS. The 2025 edition of the Blade 16 was 16 FPS behind at 1080, but at the resolution that most would play at, 1600p, the older model was nearly 30 FPS faster (162 FPS versus 133 FPS).

Cyberpunk 2077 (Ray Tracing Ultra settings), the laptops were pretty evenly matched, with most running between 65 and 70 FPS at 1080p and at around 40 FPS at 1600p. For the Razer Blade 16 specifically, it achieved 65 FPS at 1080p and 42 FPS at 1600p.

Far Cry 6 (Ultra settings) saw the Blade 16 running in third place ahead of its predecessor (106 FPS at 1080p, 108 FPS at 1600p). The Alienware 16 Area-51 and Raider 16 Max HX were a few FPS ahead at each resolution, but it was still a relatively close fight among the top three.

Red Dead Redemption 2 (Medium settings) proved challenging for the Blade 16, as it lagged behind with 94 FPS at 1080p and just 71 FPS at 1600p. For comparison, last year's model eclipsed those numbers at 121 FPS and 94 FPS, respectively. The 25W CPU simply couldn’t keep up with the 28W Ryzen and 55W Intel HX chips

However, the Blade 16 was back to its fighting form in the Borderlands 3 (Badass settings) benchmark, easily slipping into second place behind the Raider 16 Max HX with 175 FPS at 1080p and 126 FPS at 1600p.

Metro Exodus is still our preferred benchmark for gaming laptop stress testing. Our review unit averaged 133.39 FPS at 1080p across 15 loops using the RTX benchmark preset. The CPU performance cores averaged 3.96 GHz, and the efficiency cores averaged 3.5 GHz. The RTX 5090 GPU also ran at 1.95 GHz.

One item of note is that the two system fans are incredibly loud while gaming, which may force you to use a pair of the best gaming headsets to block out the added noise.

Productivity Performance on the Razer Blade 16

The Razer Blade 16 uses a 16-core Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor, 32GB of memory, and a 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD. With some of the competition sporting upwards of 8 additional cores, the Blade 16 didn’t really break through in the multi-threaded benchmarks.

The synthetic CPU benchmark Geekbench saw the Blade 16 lag slightly behind its predecessor in single-core (2,895 versus 2,922), but pull ahead in multi-core performance (16,971 versus 16,025). However, neither Blade system was a match for the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processors in the Alienware 16 Area-51 and Raider 16 Max HX; the latter of which pulled numbers of 3,231 and 20,656, respectively.

In our 25GB file transfer test, the Blade 16 took second place by the slightest of margins, hitting 1,735.09 MBps. However, this result was still 1,000 MBps behind the first-place Alienware 16 Area-51.

The multi-threaded performance shortfall crept up again in our Handbrake test, where we transcode a 4K video file to 1080p. The Blade 16 pulled up the rear in this group, even falling behind the Blade 16 with the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370. It took 3 minutes and 17 seconds to complete the task compared to just 1 minute and 51 seconds for the Raider 16 Max HX.

Display on the Razer Blade 16

As Tom's Hardware's resident monitor editor, I’m absolutely smitten with OLED panels. Thankfully, the OLED display on the Blade 16 doesn’t disappoint: it’s a 16-inch panel with a 2560 x 1600 resolution and a native refresh rate of 240 Hz.

We found that color volume was 90 percent for DCI-P3 and 127 percent for sRGB. Brightness levels were also fairly impressive, earning second place behind the Raider 16 Max HX at 408.2 nits.

Although the instrumented tests show some regression compared to last year’s Blade 16 in the sRGB and DCI-P3 color spaces, the display looks amazing in a vacuum. The gritty visuals while playing Battlefield 6 in Overkill mode were a delight to my eyes, with sunlight glinting through windows and concussive bomb blasts kicking up debris all around me.

Keyboard and Touchpad on the Razer Blade 16

The keyboard on the Blade 16 uses scissor switches with 1.5 mm of travel. The key presses are slightly clicky, and my fingers had no trouble getting used to typing on the keys.

I used my standard keyhero.com typing test and scored 89 words per minute with 97 percent accuracy, which is about par for the course for me.

The touchpad is absolutely massive, measuring 5.9 inches wide and 3.8 inches tall. It’s one of the largest trackpads you’ll find outside of Apple’s 16-inch MacBook Pros. What isn’t Apple-like is the insistence on using a mechanical linkage for trackpad actuation instead of the steadier, more consistent presses made possible by a haptic touchpad. For a laptop with a sticker price of nearly $5,000, I don’t think it’s too much to ask for some haptics here.

However, if you’re using this laptop primarily for gaming, you’ll likely be using one of the best gaming mice for your competitive sessions.

Audio on the Razer Blade 16

The six-speaker audio system on the Blade 16 is THX-optimized, and the audio quality is good, if not quite price-appropriate. While playing Battlefield 6, in-game dialog, explosions, gunfire, and vehicle noise generally sounded good, but the effects were competing with the turbine whine of the dual system fans. Cranking the volume to near-max levels helped drown out the fan noise, but at that point, I was experiencing a bit of aural overload, so I opted to put on a pair of headphones.

When the CPU and GPU weren’t heavily taxed, I was able to better enjoy the speakers, such as by playing Dave Matthews Band’s album Before These Crowded Streets for the 300th time. I cruised through the album with the volume set to a comfortable 50%, savoring the acoustic and bass guitars on “Dreaming Tree,” which always results in a relaxing frisson for me.

Similarly, I watched the Mel Gibson-helmed The Patriot to get into the mood for the Fourth of July, and reveled in the heavy dialogue, flintlock musket blasts, and cannon bursts.

You can make adjustments to the audio using the Razer Synapse software,

Upgradeability of the Razer Blade 16

Accessing the interior of the Blade 16 involves removing 10 Torx screws. Once all screws are removed, the bottom panel lifts off with minimal force. You’ll find the large 90 WHr battery at the bottom front of the chassis, and above are two M.2 slots that accept full-length 2280 SSDs.

The right slot was populated with a 2TB Lexar NM790 PCIe 4.0 SSD, while the left slot was empty, allowing for future upgrades. Also accessible is the PCIe Wi-Fi 7 network adapter (Intel BE213).

Battery Life on the Razer Blade 16

One thing to keep in mind is that the Blade 16 maintained competitive gaming performance among its peers, while its multi-threaded performance took a back seat. However, those compromises were fully redeemed in terms of battery life.

The Blade 16 uses a 90 WHr battery, which delivered shockingly long endurance (for a gaming laptop) in our battery test, consisting of web browsing, video streaming over Wi-Fi, and OpenGL testing with the screen brightness set at 150 nits. The system lasted a staggering 12:46, besting the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370-equipped Blade 16 by over 5 hours and the Alienware 16 Area-51 by over 9 hours. Even the Raider 16 Max HX was no match, falling short by over 4 hours.

That is a fantastic result for such a thin and light 16-inch gaming laptop, and it is a testament to the miserly energy consumption of the Panther Lake processor.

Heat on the Razer Blade 16

While running the Metro Exodus stress test, we measured the temperature of Blade 16's aluminum-alloy chassis in various spots. The keyboard measured 102 degrees Fahrenheit (F) between the G and H keys, while the touchpad was 92 F.

The hottest part of the laptop was near the rear center of the bottom of the chassis, where we measured 130 F. So it’s best to keep the laptop firmly planted on your desk while gaming, lest you roast your legs.

During the Metro Exodus stress test, the CPU measured 75.3 degrees Celsius (C). Meanwhile, the RTX 5090 came in at 87 C.

Webcam on the Razer Blade 16

Razer continues to use a run-of-the-mill 1080p webcam with an IR sensor for Windows Hello support. It’s by no means a class-leading webcam, but it’s perfectly usable for Zoom or Teams meetings.

I found the colors to be mostly adequate, but there was a little lightness in the detail in my facial features.

Software and Warranty on the Razer Blade 16

One of my favorite things about Razer laptops is that they aren’t loaded down with too much added software. On our Blade 16 review unit, Razer Chroma and Synapse were preloaded.

Synapse is an all-in-one utility that lets you adjust performance profiles, keyboard macros, audio presets, and more. Chroma, on the other hand, gives you full control over system RGBs, including the per-key keyboard effects.

Otherwise, you’ll find requisite utilities, like the Nvidia app and the usual Windows app shortcuts (we’re looking at you, LinkedIn) on the Start menu.

The Blade 16 comes backed by a one-year warranty for the system itself and a two-year warranty for the 90 WHr battery.

Razer Blade 16 Configurations

Our Blade 16 review unit came configured with a Core Ultra 9 386H processor, 32GB of LPDDR5X memory, a 2TB SSD, RTX 5090 laptop GPU, and a 16-inch, 240 Hz. 1600p display. The price as-configured is a whopping $4,899.99.

There are cheaper configurations available — if you retain the Core Ultra 9 386H and opt for an RTX 5070 Ti, 1TB SSD, and 32GB of memory, the price drops to $3,499.99. Going with RTX 5080 bumps (all other hardware staying the same) takes the price to $3,999.99.

Bottom Line

Overall, the Razer Blade 16 was a strong performer in our gaming benchmarks, which is the primary reason why most people would be willing to spend nearly $5,000 for this system. More importantly, the Panther Lake-based system delivered nearly 13 hours of non-gaming battery life, outrunning its closest competitor by over 4 hours. Combine those results with the beautiful display, attractive chassis, and under-the-radar design, and you have a winning combination.

However, there are some detractions; the lack of a haptic trackpad at this price point is annoying, and multi-threaded performance significantly lagged the competition. Also, the $4,900 asking price is high, although not completely out of line for a system with these specs. You can save roughly $900 by going with an RTX 5080 instead of the RTX 5090 that was in our system.

But if price isn’t an issue for you, it’s hard to argue with this compelling combination of gaming performance and battery life.

Lenovo has just updated its current-gen Legion 7a 16-inch gaming laptop with a new GPU config: the 12GB version of the RTX 5070 mobile. Previously, the laptop 5070 was limited to just 8GB of VRAM, but Nvidia recently overhauled it, splitting the 5070 SKU into two distinct variants. Lenovo is one of the first vendors to feature the 12GB 5070 in a retail device, but it doesn't come cheap — this new Legion 7a is listed for a whopping $3,375 on Best Buy right now.

For that money, you're getting a flagship Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 CPU, 32GB of LPDDR5X-8000 memory, and a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD. Not to mention a gorgeous 2560 x 1600 OLED display with a 240 Hz refresh rate, solid build quality, and a plethora of cutting-edge I/O. This laptop is also the perfect recipient for the upgrade since its GPU topped out at a measly RTX 5060 before, making it less powerful than the last-gen Legion 7a devices.

Now, that RTX 5060 variant was almost $600 cheaper than this new 5070-equipped model, but it's actually expanded to a $1,000 delta right now because the 5060 SKU is on sale at the moment. When Nvidia first announced RTX 50-series laptops, it said RTX 5070 devices would start at $1,299; even if you consider the upgraded VRAM, you're paying just about double of what was initially promised to you.

In all seriousness, the Legion 7a is a premium gaming laptop with all the bells and whistles so it naturally commands a higher price, AI boom or not. The RTX 5070 in here is also rated at a 115W TGP instead of the 100W baseline Nvidia has set for the GPU. Regardless, you can still find cheaper laptops kitted with the new 12GB RTX 5070, such as Lenovo's own Legion 7i with a Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor.

The extra 4GB of VRAM in these devices, gained by swapping from 2GB GDDR7 modules to 3GB ones, should help improve performance in modern titles and AI workloads, especially where ray tracing is involved. Customers have already complained about Nvidia's insistence on packing 8GB video memory pools with various GPUs for years, and at this point, if you're buying a new GPU (or laptop) with that spec, you're killing any chances of future-proofing.

Asus’ ROG Strix Scar 18 (starting at $4,299.99) is an example of abundance in the world of gaming laptops, built around an 18-inch display and the latest flagship silicon: a Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus with Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 5090 in our test unit. This machine makes a loud first impression, from its stellar (albeit tricky to configure) mini-LED display to the unique scrolling marquee lighting on its lid. But at this price - $4,999.99 as tested – the Scar 18 must prove it can hold the line against Razer’s Blade 18 before it can claim a spot at the top.

Design of the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026)

At 15.71 x 11.73 x 1.38 inches, the Scar 18 has the footprint of a cafeteria tray – this isn’t a laptop you’ll be getting out on a plane. And at 8.16 pounds, this is also one of the heaviest laptops on the market. But performance is the goal here, not portability. Razer’s Blade 18 (15.74 x 10.84 x 1.1 inches) is thinner and significantly lighter, at 7.06 pounds.

The vibrant Aura Sync lightbar around the base of the laptop also demands attention, as does the RGB-lit Republic of Gamers logo on the lid. Both are configurable with customizable lighting and patterns in the Armoury Crate app.

The lid also has a special feature called AniMe vision, a diagonally scrolling marquee of text via LEDs shining through holes in the lid backing. (This is extremely similar to the AniMe Matrix that debuted on the Zephyrus line years ago.) There are several preconfigured versions of the Republic of Gamers logo, and you can add your own text effects. Layered effects are possible and don’t always produce the desired effect — I had a “raining” effect enabled at the same time as my text, and the text was almost impossible to make out.

The bottom line is that the Scar 18 couldn’t do anything more to look like a gaming laptop – it is designed to be seen. Build-wise, it’s a solid machine, showing minimal flex no matter how I handled it. Only the lid is metal, with the rest of the construction thick plastic.

Connectivity is thoroughly modern: two Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) and three USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, HDMI 2.1, an audio combo jack, and 2.5 Gbps Ethernet. Internally, it offers Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 from an Intel BE200 networking card. The power connector is proprietary for the 450 W power brick.

Specifications

Gaming and Graphics on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026)

We tested the ROG Strix Scar 18 in flagship form, featuring a Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor, RTX 5090 graphics card (175 W maximum graphics power), and 32GB of RAM. This is top-of-the-line gaming technology, though with one misstep: single-channel RAM. This might affect its performance as we’re about to see. The Task Manager confirms that only one SO-DIMM slot was used.

I put the Scar 18 through its paces playing 007: First Light at 3840 x 2400 with all detail settings maxed out. At first, this proved too demanding – I saw 26 to 32 frames per second (FPS) in most scenes. Enabling DLSS more than doubled the frame rate – I saw around 70 FPS or better, and the game was supremely playable.

Our comparison lineup includes Alienware’s 16 Area-51 (RTX 5080), MSI’s Raider 16 Max HX (RTX 5090), and Razer’s Blade 18 (RTX 5090). All laptops use a Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus and have GPUs rated for 175 W like our Asus. Their native screen resolutions, however, are different: Alienware and MSI are 2560 x 1600 while Razer has a unique dual-model display supporting both 1920 x 1200 and 3840 x 2400.

The Scar 18 was competitive across the board at 1200p, typically a few FPS ahead of the Alienware but a few FPS behind the MSI and particularly the Razer.

Bumping the resolution to 4K, the Scar 18 trailed the Razer in most games – the delta was at or almost 10% in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Far Cry 6, Cyberpunk 2077, and F1 23. (Red Dead Redemption 2 was the exception.) While those numbers won't make the difference between playability and unplayability, the price of these laptops makes it difficult to overlook.

Differences versus the Razer aside, the Scar 18 still demonstrates ample performance for gaming at 4K in most of the games we tested, though not all – it averaged only 21 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 on ray tracing ultra, indicating that it won't be possible to play every game at maximum detail settings.

We stress test gaming laptops running 15 loops of the Metro Exodus stress test at RTX settings. During the test, the Scar 18 averaged 141 FPS with minimal variance between runs, starting at 141.5 FPS and finishing at 141.1 FPS. The Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus CPU averaged 4.59 GHz on its P-cores and 2.58 GHz on its E-cores while the RTX 5090 had an average boost clock of 1.98 GHz.

Productivity Performance on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026)

We tested the Scar 18 with a Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus CPU, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD. Not including a PCIe 5.0 drive seems like a missed opportunity at this price, though Razer does the same thing.

In Geekbench 6, the single-core numbers between these laptops were almost indistinguishable as we might expect given they all use the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, though the Scar 18’s multi-core score of 17,629 points significantly trailed the others, which all scored over 20,000 points.

The Scar 18 landed middle of the road in our 25GB file transfer test, averaging 2,042.69 MBps, putting it ahead of the MSI (1,357.93 MBps) and Razer (1,670.53 MBps) but behind the Alienware (2,738.9 MBps).

The Scar 18 also proved competitive in our 4K-to-1080p Handbrake transcoding test, completing it in two minutes and 11 seconds to lead the Alienware (2:24) but trail the MSI (1:51) and Razer (2:01).

Display on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026)

The Scar 18’s “Nebula” HDR display is its crowning feature. With a 3840 x 2400 (4K) resolution, mini-LED backlighting with 2,000 dimming zones, a 240 Hz refresh rate, and Nvidia G-Sync, this is quite advanced.

Tweaking is required to get this display to perform as intended, and it’s not simple. Out of the box, HDR is disabled, the refresh rate is capped at 120 Hz, and G-Sync is unavailable since Nvidia Optimus, which dynamically switches between the CPU’s integrated graphics and the RTX 5090, is enabled. To unlock maximum performance, the GPU must be put in “Ultimate” mode in Armoury Crate, which is effectively a MUX toggle that disables the integrated graphics. A restart is required for this to take effect. G-Sync, the 240 Hz refresh rate, and a special feature called “Extreme Low Motion Blur” (ELMB) then become available. The latter is aimed at esports players– it manipulates the pixels so that they turn off when switching colors, theoretically eliminating blur. (More on this in a moment.)

Those aren’t the only settings you’ll need to know about. You can toggle the mini-LED backlighting control between one zone, multi-zone balanced, or multi-zone strong. These settings produce very different images – one-zone provides the deepest contrast, multi-zone balanced is the dimmest but evens out the contrast to make dark scenes appear brighter, and multi-zone strong is the brightest and most vibrant. I stuck with the latter for nearly everything.

ELMB only works in one-zone mode without HDR. I tested it using the Blur Blusters UFO Test. It clearly made a difference – in the 240 fps scrollbar, the UFO looked crisp moving across the screen. Disabling ELMB caused it to become blurry, making it harder to see details. This feature can really matter for competitive esports.

But wait, there are even more settings! Armoury Crate includes many color modes through a feature called GameVisual — racing, scenery, RTS/RPG, fps, cinema, eyecare, vivid, and e-reading. On top of that, it also provides color temperature and gamut settings.

Then there’s the question of HDR. To get that working, it must first be enabled in the Windows Settings app. Back in Armoury Crate, you’ll find GameVisual, color temperature and gamut settings, Extreme Low Motion Blur, and mini-LED backlighting settings are no longer available. That’s the trade-off.

Complicating all this is that the settings I just mentioned are in different places in Armoury Crate. Some are in the display section, while others require going into the Devices section, selecting the Scar 18, and making changes there. It’s not straightforward, and those that simply use this laptop out of the box without tweaking won’t get the best visual experience.

After much experimentation, I played 007: First Light in GPU Ultimate mode, G-Sync enabled, a 240 Hz refresh rate, and True Color HDR enabled through Windows. The picture left little to the imagination – colors seemed to pop off the screen and the 4K resolution provided exquisite detail right down to the patches on Bond’s uniform. HDR effects from muzzle flashes and explosions were dazzling in dark environments.

When I watched Zootopia 2, I switched off HDR and used SDR multi-zone strong. Colors looked exquisite, and brightness was borderline excessive in a darker room. Bright objects like lamps almost seemed overexposed, but they weren’t – the display was simply that bright, and colors were so saturated that I found it hard to look away.

The Scar 18’s numbers are from its default out-of-the-box display settings. In color coverage, its 77.9% DCI-P3 coverage was last in the group – Alienware's OLED screen achieved 93.7% — but is still high enough to create vibrant-looking colors. Its 428.2-nit peak brightness was mid-pack, brighter than the Alienware's 368.6 nits but well back from Razer's 538 nits.

Also shown in our charts are the multi-zone strong settings, which produced 584.6 nits of brightness, with parts peaking at 625 nits. Enabling HDR, we measured an astounding 1,124 nits at 10%, 1,090 nits at 40%, and 943 nits at 100%. If you're looking for one of the brightest laptop displays around, the Scar 18 ranks high on the list.

Keyboard and Touchpad on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026)

The Scar 18’s keyboard is great for gaming – the keys require enough actuation force that resting your fingers on WASD or the arrow keys won’t produce accidental presses. Key travel is communicative in the sense your fingers know exactly when a key is at the top or bottom of the stroke. The bright RGB backlight is sharp and easy to see.

The keyboard is less ideal for productivity. The tactile feel is rather lifeless, though I still managed 126 words per minute with 99% accuracy in my usual MonkeyType run. Layout-wise, a two-thirds-size number pad on an 18-inch laptop is a miss – there’s plenty of space to make it full-size. Additionally, the arrow key cluster isn’t separated out, resulting in no right Ctrl key, and there are no dedicated Home, End, Page Up, or Page Down keys. Asus does, however, provide five dedicated macro keys, a rarity on any laptop. These are configurable in the Armoury Crate app.

Asus’ mechanical touchpad is excellent, with an expansive surface and a smooth but fingerprint-resistant surface coating. Its clicking action is quiet.

Audio on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026)

The Scar 18’s quad-speaker array delivers a decent, if not remarkable, audio experience. In 007: First Light, soft details like the footsteps of approaching enemies were easy to pinpoint, thanks to the expansive soundstage – there’s plenty of room to separate the speaker placement on a laptop this large. Bass is muted, though, resulting in explosions and gunfire that don’t stir up as much excitement as they could.

In Phil Collins’ “Don’t Lose My Number,” high hats on drum hits were sharp but missed low-end bump. Switching to the Chainsmokers’ “Summertime Friends,” I also noted the lack of bass, though the vocals were crisp. The overall sound signature is on the hollow side, but that can be sharpened up using the Atmos Detailed equalizer in the Dolby Access app. None of the equalizers made up for the lack of bass, though. Volume levels are also moderate – I found myself pushing at least 80% volume for most situations.

Upgradeability of the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026)

Getting inside the Scar 18 couldn’t be easier – simply slide the latch below the palm rest, slide the entire bottom panel forward, and lift it away. You don't even need tools.

Upgrade possibilities include two M.2 slots, two SODIMM slots, and the battery.

Battery Life on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026)

Our battery test consists of web browsing, running OpenGL tests, and streaming videos with the screen at 150 nits while connected to Wi-Fi.

One minute shy of the five-hour mark, the Scar 18 demonstrates respectable battery life for an 18-inch gaming laptop. The Razer lasted half an hour longer (5:31) and the MSI Raider (8:34) clearly does a better job conserving power, but the Scar 18 did outperform the Alienware (3:33) by several hours.

Heat on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026)

We measure the surface temperatures of gaming laptops while running the Metro Exodus stress test. Peak temperatures were 91 degrees Fahrenheit on the keyboard between the G and H keys, 90 F on the touchpad, and 108 F on the underside near the cooling vents. Internally, the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus averaged 66 Celsius while the RTX 5090 ran at 64 C.

The laptop’s fans are well-behaved for daily use. Though fan noise increases while gaming, I had no trouble hearing footsteps and distant conversations in 007: First Light using the built-in speakers.

Webcam on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026)

Asus’ FHD webcam has the minimum resolution expected on a modern laptop. The picture looks soft and washed out. Highlights aren’t handled that well – a window in the background appeared blown out – and I had trouble making out details on my face from just a few feet away. Gamers who value visual quality will want to invest in an external webcam.

Software and Warranty on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (2026)

Asus includes a useful software bundle, starting with the familiar Armoury Crate. This app provides component monitoring, a macro editor, game library, an exhaustive amount of display settings, and lighting settings via Aura Sync and AniMe Vision. Accessing some settings is unintuitive since you need to go to the Device section and select the laptop. There you can access Windows key and Touchpad toggles and several display settings, including panel overdrive (240 Hz refresh rate). Most settings can be saved in profiles.

The MyAsus app is more generic. In addition to diagnostics and system updates, it provides a battery care mode, microphone noise cancelation, and networking preferences that allow prioritizing traffic to games or other apps.†

The Scar 18 also works with Asus’ GlideX app to share content across devices, including phones and tablets.

Asus includes a standard one-year warranty.

Configurations

Asus offers two Scar 18 configurations with only the GPU different between them – model G835LWG-DB96 uses an RTX 5080 for $4,299.99 while our review model, G835LXG-DB96, steps up to the RTX 5090 for $4,999.99. All other components are the same: a Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and the 18-inch mini-LED display.

Pricing is slightly higher than Razer’s Blade 18 with the RTX 5080 – it was $4,099 at this writing. Razer runs $5,399 with the RTX 5090, but that price also includes a 2TB SSD.

Bottom Line

The Scar 18 is an undeniably impressive machine that goes all-in on visuals. Its mini-LED “Nebula” display looks breathtaking when properly configured, producing exceptional brightness. The AniMe scrolling marquee, dedicated macro keys, and easy serviceability also elevate its appeal.

However, when it comes to performance, the Scar 18’s single-channel RAM and lack of a PCIe 4.0 SSD are significant shortcomings on a $4,999.99 machine. Several of our gaming benchmarks and multi-core CPU performance showed meaningful dips against Razer’s Blade 18. Additionally, while its display is brilliant, the maze of settings required to unlock its potential means it doesn’t provide the best experience out of the box.

Overall, the Scar 18 is a formidable and visually stunning laptop with plenty of power and one of the best displays you’ll find in a laptop. It simply doesn’t perform consistently enough to displace the Blade 18 as our top recommendation among elite 18-inch gaming laptops.